Mikhail Bulgakov: Diaries and Selected Letters

The career of Mikhail Bulgakov, the author of Master and Margarita - now regarded as one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century literature - was characterized by a constant and largely unsuccessful struggle against state censorship. This suppression did not only apply to his art: in 1926 his personal diary was seized by the authorities. From then on he confined his thoughts to letters to his friends and family, as well as to public figures such as Stalin and his fellow Soviet writer Gorky, while also encouraging his wife Yelena to keep a diary, with many entries influenced or even dictated by him.This selection from the diaries and letters of the Bulgakovs, mostly translated for the first time into English, provides an insightful glimpse into a fascinating period of Russian history and literature, telling the tragic tale of the fate of an artist under a totalitarian regime.

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Review

Intriguing letters and diary entries that fill out our picture of the man... He remains one of the most original and witty writers in a great age of literature. Roger Cockrell's book helps us to know him better. --Elaine Feinstein, The Times

A fine biographical addition to the new translations of Bulgakov's fiction that Alma Classics have published in recent years --Prospect Magazine

Resolving Bulgakov's contradictions is somewhat easier when we read the letters and diaries... Cockrell's book has been beautifully produced and designed by Alma Books --The Literary Review

About the Author

Russian novelist and dramatist Mikhail Bulgakov (1891--1940) is one of the foremost satirists of the twentieth century and is most famous for The Master and Margarita.