Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov

Mel Dadswell (University of Exeter)

Ed. by Neil Cornwell, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.2.00: Post-1917 Writing and Culture in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, 1917-present.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Dates

Born 15 May 1891
Died 10 Mar 1940
Activity 1911-1940

Places

Born in Russia
Active in Russia

Activities

Primary

Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist

Resources

In an autobiographical sketch written in 1924, Bulgakov claimed that his first adult writing was done on a train one night in 1919, by the light of a candle in a bottle. The resulting sketch was sold to a newspaper in Vladikavkaz, appearing as his first paid work, but Bulgakov had been writing creatively from a very early age, amusing family and friends with imaginative story telling and drama. As to his background, the story has depended on the audience being addressed. This is not surprising given that one's “class” status at the time of the Revolution could tip the scales for or against survival.

Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov, the eldest of seven children, was born on May 15^th, 1891 in Kiev. His father, the s…

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4517 words

Citation: Dadswell, Mel. "Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 December 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=634, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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