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The Master and Margarita is a masterful blend of political satire, philosophical inquiry, and supernatural elements set against the backdrop of Soviet Russia. Mikhail Bulgakov critiques authoritarianism and the suppression of artistic freedom while weaving a narrative that shifts between 1930s Moscow and ancient Jerusalem. Through the enigmatic figure of Woland—the Devil in disguise—and his chaotic retinue, the novel explores the nature of good and evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the resilience of love and creativity in the face of oppression. Since its publication, The Master and Margarita has been celebrated for its rich symbolism, multi-layered narrative, and incisive social commentary. The parallel stories of the Master, a persecuted writer, and his devoted lover Margarita, alongside the philosophical trial of Pontius Pilate, create a complex meditation on justice, fate, and redemption. The novel's dark humor and fantastical elements challenge the constraints of realism, offering a timeless reflection on human nature and freedom. The novel's enduring relevance lies in its sharp critique of totalitarianism and its profound exploration of artistic integrity and moral responsibility. By intertwining the absurd with the profound, The Master and Margarita invites readers to question the boundaries between reality and illusion, illuminating the power of literature to challenge and transcend the forces that seek to suppress it.

El maestro y Margarita es una obra que trasciende los límites del realismo al combinar sátira política, fantasía y filosofía en una narrativa compleja y envolvente. Mijaíl Bulgákov construye una crítica mordaz al régimen soviético, utilizando elementos sobrenaturales para exponer las contradicciones de la sociedad y los desafíos de la libertad artística. Ambientada en Moscú en la década de 1930, la novela sigue la llegada del enigmático Woland, una representación del diablo, y sus excéntricos acompañantes, quienes desatan una serie de eventos caóticos y reveladores. Paralelamente, la historia de amor entre el Maestro, un escritor perseguido, y Margarita, su devota amante, añade una dimensión emocional profunda a la obra. Desde su publicación, El maestro y Margarita ha sido celebrada por su originalidad y profundidad simbólica. Su enfoque crítico del autoritarismo, junto con una narrativa llena de ironía y surrealismo, ha consolidado su estatus como una de las grandes obras de la literatura rusa del siglo XX. La novela explora temas como la lucha por la libertad creativa, la dualidad entre el bien y el mal y el impacto del poder sobre el individuo. La relevancia continua de la obra radica en su capacidad para cuestionar los límites de la realidad y el control ideológico, mientras profundiza en la complejidad de las relaciones humanas y el destino. Al entrelazar sátira y misticismo, Bulgákov invita al lector a reflexionar sobre el papel del arte y la verdad en medio de la represión, haciendo de El maestro y Margarita una lectura fascinante y atemporal.

O Mestre e Margarida é uma obra que transcende os limites do realismo ao mesclar sátira política, fantasia e filosofia em uma narrativa complexa e envolvente. Mikhail Bulgákov constrói uma crítica mordaz ao regime soviético, utilizando elementos do sobrenatural para expor as contradições da sociedade e os desafios da liberdade artística. Ambientado em Moscou na década de 1930, o romance acompanha a chegada do enigmático Woland, uma representação do diabo, e seus excêntricos acompanhantes, que desencadeiam uma série de eventos caóticos e reveladores. Paralelamente, a história de amor entre o Mestre, um escritor perseguido, e Margarida, sua devotada amante, adiciona uma dimensão emocional profunda à obra. Desde sua publicação, O Mestre e Margarida tem sido celebrado por sua originalidade e profundidade simbólica. Sua abordagem crítica ao autoritarismo, aliada a uma narrativa repleta de ironia e surrealismo, consolidou seu status como uma das grandes obras da literatura russa do século XX. O romance explora temas como a luta pela liberdade criativa, a dualidade entre o bem e o mal e o impacto do poder sobre o indivíduo. A relevância contínua da obra reside na sua capacidade de questionar os limites da realidade e do controle ideológico, enquanto mergulha na complexidade das relações humanas e do destino. Ao entrelaçar sátira e misticismo, Bulgákov convida o leitor a refletir sobre o papel da arte e da verdade em meio à repressão, tornando O Mestre e Margarida uma leitura instigante e atemporal.

In this series we listen to short stories that are NOT by perhaps the most well-known author of this type. But the many other rich talents in the volume may have treated the subject matter a little differently, or were perhaps just overlooked in the stampede to applaud the winner, but these authors are of equal merit. Each of their works is laden with talent, has purpose, and is rich and textured in this gloried niche of literature.

The Hippocratic oath is sacred. Until it's not. Human foibles and frailties can quickly grow and make the Doctor into a romantic hero, or a despised villain, or hopeless professional in the face of what is around him.In this volume our protagonists are the people we look to for help and certainty when we are in distress and pain. Our authors place these characters in stories that are as relevant to our thoughts today as when they were first published.

The diary is that most intimate of journals, of records.Within its pages the writer records and gives expression to their thoughts, their feelings, their emotional state on all the things that make up and surround them in this world.For most people the diary is a way to record the milestones of life; a birthday, a new love, the passing of someone as well as the minutiae of everyday life that seems worth passing into written memory. It may be a daily task, or an occasional flurry of words whenever it's deemed necessary yet, apart from politicians and celebrities, these pages are never really shared. The truth they hold is personal to the writer, and others are not privy to its contents.With authors of the calibre of Bulgakov, Woolf, Tolstoy, Twain and many others this volume explores characters who lives seemed dominated by these diaries, and the events that unfold are both compelling and literary journeys into the very personal and intimate side of their characters'lives.

The Heart of a Dog is a novella that blends science fiction with sharp social commentary. The story centers on a stray dog named Sharik, who is taken in by a scientist, Professor Preobrazhensky. The professor performs an experimental surgery on Sharik, transplanting human organs into the dog, which causes Sharik to transform into a human-like creature named Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov. Sharikov's transformation and subsequent behavior serve as a biting satire of the Soviet attempt to create a new socialist citizen. Sharikov becomes a crude, vulgar, and opportunistic character, embodying the worst traits of humanity. The novella explores themes of identity, the ethics of scientific experimentation, and the clash between nature and nurture.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens'across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.Human beings are, in the main, social animals, they like to gather, to herd together, to share experiences. But some do not. Either through choice or exclusion their way forward is difficult. In this volume our authors and their characters share their stories.

Throughout literary history Russian writing has been both applauded and lauded as fiction of the first rank. It's authors down the decades are many and each of them has consummate talents and knowledge that few, if any, can argue with. In this volume we present stories that explain and reveal Russian Realism, in ways that are absorbing, startling and capture a world with precise and literary verve.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens'across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.In this volume we examine Russians authors of the 20th Century. Whether it is under the despotic boot of Czars or the authoritarian boot of Communism, the imagination and ideas of such authors as Leo Tolstoy, Leonid Andreyev, Maxin Gorky, Mikhail Bulgakov cut through with razor sharp prose that adds genius to each and every name.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens'across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.In this decade Europe is recovering from the Great War yet already the poisonous seeds for the next, even greater calamity, are taking root. Our literary leviathans bring tales of pain and heartache, sorrow and humanity into every narrative. Genius has many names.

Coisas estranhas estão acontecendo em Moscou. Um gato falante fanfarrão anda só com as patas traseiras e uma bruxa charmosa de cabelos vermelhos voa pelo céu montada em uma vassoura. Woland, um mágico diabólico, apresenta-se no teatro com ingressos esgotados todos os dias. Será que o ilusionista está por trás de todas essas coisas esquisitas? E o que esses fatos têm a ver com um livro inacabado sobre Jesus e Pôncio Pilatos? Os moradores de Moscou serão capazes de descobrir o que é verdade e o que não passa de uma mera história?

This collection is a compilation of novels and short stories by some of the greatest masters of fiction literature. The collection includes works spanning over 150 years from the beginning of the 19th century to the second half of the 20th century. The works vary in genre, including humorous, lyrical, psychological, romantic, detective, fantastic, adventurous, and mystical prose. It features classics of American, British, Irish, French, German, and Russian literature. Some of the outstanding authors included in this collection: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Herman Melville, Leo Tolstoy, Guy de Maupassant, Arthur Conan Doyle, Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, H. P. Lovecraft, John Galsworthy, Ernest Hemingway, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, and many more. This book is intended for teachers and true literature enthusiasts. Contents: Washington Irving. Rip van Winkle Charlotte Bronte. Napoleon and the Spectre Mary Shelley. The Mortal Immortal Edgar Allan Poe. The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe. The Black Cat Ivan Turgenev. First Love Charles Dickens. Nobody's Story Herman Melville. Bartleby, The Scrivener Mark Twain. A Complaint about Correspondents, Dated in San Francisco Mark Twain. Answers to Correspondents Mark Twain. Among the Fenians Mary Elizabeth Braddon. The Cold Embrace Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Parson's Horse Race Joel Chandler Harris. The Wonderful Tar Baby Story Guy de Maupassant. The Piece of String Leo Tolstoy. The Death Of Ivan Ilyich Leo Tolstoy. God Sees The Truth, But Waits Oscar Wilde. The Happy Prince Jerome K. Jerome. Three Men in a Boat Kate Chopin. The Awakening H. G. Wells. The Star Anton Chekhov. Gooseberries Anton Chekhov. A Malefactor Arthur Conan Doyle. Lot No. 249 Arthur Conan Doyle. The Crime Of The Brigadier Rudyard Kipling. The Cat That Walked By Himself Jack London. To Build A Fire H. H. Munro, or Saki. Gabriel-Ernest O. Henry. The Caballero's Way Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The Cottagette James Joyce. The Dead Franz Kafka. In the Penal Colony Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The Christmas Tree And The Wedding John Galsworthy. The Broken Boot F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Offshore Pirate G. K. Chesterton. The Blue Cross Ivan Bunin. The Grammar Of Love Ivan Bunin. Gentle Breathing Aleksandr Kuprin. The Outrage - A True Story Ernest Hemingway. Up in Michigan Ernest Hemingway. Out of Season Ernest Hemingway. My Old Man Ray Bradbury. A Little Journey Ray Bradbury. Zero Hour H. P. Lovecraft. The Shadow over Innsmouth Mikhail Bulgakov. The Cup Of Life Mikhail Bulgakov. The Beer Story Mikhail Bulgakov. Moonshine Springs Agatha Christie. The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge Agatha Christie. The Million Dollar Bond Robbery Agatha Christie. The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

Moscou, 1928. El professor Pèrsikov descobreix un raig excepcional que fa que els ous fertilitzin a una velocitat extraordinària i amb un vigor inaudit. Això passa en temps de carestia radical per culpa d'una pesta que afecta les granges de gallines russes. El poble passa gana, i el prodigi de Pèrsikov sembla caigut del cel. El govern expropia l'invent del professor i crea un pla esperpèntic per reflotar les granges del país a partir d'un gran centre de producció que, gràcies al raig, crearà unes gallines esplèndidament ponedores. I a partir d'aquí, tot anirà de tort. Què passa quan la ciència cau en mans d'ineptes? Mikhaïl Bulgàkov va escriure aquesta novel·la d'anticipació l'any 1924; una sàtira del que el jove escriptor s'ensumava del règim soviètic. No cal dir que l'obra no li va procurar gaire bona fama.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens'across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.This proud nation has been both Empire and subjugated to one. For much of its literary history it has been part of the Russian Empire, and sometimes referred to as ‘Little Russia'. Much of its roots and culture are common with surrounding nations but a roll call of its literary icons suggest few can compare with it.

Russian short stories are known for being melancholy, often dealing with suffering. However, they can also be funny and absurd. Some common subjects include class distinctions, the plight of the underdog, and a rejection of authoritarianism and bureaucracy. The best collection of Russian short stories includes: Fyodor Dostoevsky: Notes from the Underground The Dream of a Ridiculous Man The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree Leo Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilyich Kholstomer, the Story of a Horse Alyosha the Pot A Letter to a Hindu A Confession God Sees the Truth, but Waits A Russian Christmas Party Anton Chekhov: Kashtanka Gusev The Darling The Lady with the Dog A Slander The Horse-Stealers The Petchenyeg A Dead Body A Happy Ending The Looking-Glass Old Age Darkness The Beggar In Trouble Frost Minds in Ferment Gone Astray An Avenger The Jeune Premier A Defenceless Creature An Enigmatic Nature A Happy Man A Troublesome Visitor An Actor's End A Story Without a Title Vanka Ivan Turgenev: First Love The District Doctor Mumu Nikolay Gogol: The Mantle Memoirs of a Madman The Nose A May Night The Cloak The Viy Christmas Eve Alexsandr Pushkin: The Queen of Spades Maxim Gorky: One Autumn Night Her Lover Leonid Andreyev: Lazarus The Little Angel Aleksandr Kuprin: The Outrage Mikhail Bulgakov The Cup of Life Komarov Case Moscow Settings Psalm Moonshine Springs Seance Shifting Accommodation The Beer Story The Embroidered Towel Ivan Bunin: The Gentleman from San Francisco The Grammar of Love Gentle Breathing Son An Unknown Friend Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin: How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author's brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens'across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? The theme itself will form the boundaries for our stories which range from well-known classics, newly told, to stories that modern times have overlooked but perfectly exemplify the theme. Throughout the volume our authors whether of instant recognition or new to you are all leviathans of literature.Some you may disagree with but they will get you thinking; about our choices and about those you would have made. If this volume takes you on a path to discover more of these miniature masterpieces then we have all gained something.From realism, to horror, to entirely new genres, authors in this Century sparkle with wit and purpose as they drive literature forward in expansive and pulsating new ways reflecting the harnessing of their talents to the bewildering changes in society.

Russia's literary world is shaken to its foundations when a mysterious gentleman – a professor of black magic – arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a bizarre retinue of servants. It soon becomes clear that he is the Devil himself, come to wreak havoc among the cultural elite of a disbelieving capital. But the Devil's mission quickly becomes entangled with the fate of the Master – a man who has turned his back on his former life and taken refuge in a lunatic asylum – and his past lover, Margarita. Both a satirical romp and a daring analysis of the nature of good and evil, innocence and guilt, The Master and Margarita is the crowning achievement of one of the greatest Russian writers of the twentieth century.

La serie de libros'7 mejores cuentos'presenta los grandes nombres de la literatura en lengua española. En este volumen traemos a Mijaíl Bulgákov, un escritor, dramaturgo y médico soviético de la primera mitad del siglo XX. Su obra más conocida es la novela El maestro y Margarita considerada una obra maestra que fue publicada póstumamente. Este libro contiene los siguientes cuentos: - Bautismo de fuego. - La erupción estrelada. - La garganta de acero. - La toalla con el gallo rojo. - Morfina. - Tinieblas egípcias. - Un ojo desaparecido.

Set in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev during the chaotic winter of 1918–19, The White Guard, Bulgakov's first full-length novel, tells the story of a Russian-speaking family trapped in circumstances that threaten to destroy them. As in Tolstoy's War and Peace, the narrative centres on the stark contrast between the cosy domesticity of family life on the one hand, and wide-ranging and destructive historical events on the other. The result is a disturbing, often shocking story – illuminated, however, by shafts of light that testify to people's resilience, humanity and ability to love in even the most adverse circumstances.

In Bulgakov's ‘Diaboliad', the modest and unassuming office clerk Korotkov is summarily sacked for a trifling error from his job at the Main Central Depot of Match Materials and tries to seek out his newly assigned superior, responsible for his dismissal. His quest through the labyrinth of Soviet bureaucracy takes on the increasingly surreal dimensions of a nightmare. This early satirical story, reminiscent of Gogol and Dostoevsky, was first published in 1924 and incurred the wrath of pro-Soviet critics. Along with the three other stories in this volume, which also explore the themes of the absurd and bizarre, it provides a fascinating glimpse into the artistic development of the author of The Master and Margarita.

When a stray dog dying on the streets of Moscow is taken in by a wealthy professor, he is subjected to medical experiments in which he receives various transplants of human organs. As he begins to transform into a rowdy, unkempt human by the name of Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov, his actions distress the professor and those surrounding him, although he finds himself accepted into the ranks of the Soviet state. A parodic reworking of the Frankenstein myth and a vicious satire of the Communist revolution and the concept of the New Soviet man, A Dog's Heart was banned by the censors in 1925 and circulated only in samizdat form. Nowadays this hugely entertaining tale has become very popular in Russia, and has inspired many adaptations across the world.

The career of Mikhail Bulgakov, the author of The 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 diaries were 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. This ample selection from the diaries and letters of Mikhail Bulgakov, mostly translated for the first time into English, provides an insightful glimpse into the author's world and into a fascinating period of Russian history and literature, telling the tragic tale of the fate of an artist under a totalitarian regime.

Satan, Judas, a Soviet writer, and a talking black cat named Behemoth populate this satire, “a classic of twentieth-century fiction” (The New York Times). In 1930s Moscow, Satan decides to pay the good people of the Soviet Union a visit. In old Jerusalem, the fateful meeting of Pilate and Yeshua and the murder of Judas in the garden of Gethsemane unfold. At the intersection of fantasy and realism, satire and unflinching emotional truths, Mikhail Bulgakov's classic The Master and Margarita eloquently lampoons every aspect of Soviet life under Stalin's regime, from politics to art to religion, while interrogating the complexities between good and evil, innocence and guilt, and freedom and oppression. Spanning from Moscow to Biblical Jerusalem, a vibrant cast of characters—a “magician” who is actually the devil in disguise, a giant cat, a witch, a fanged assassin—sow mayhem and madness wherever they go, mocking artists, intellectuals, and politicians alike. In and out of the fray weaves a man known only as the Master, a writer demoralized by government censorship, and his mysterious lover, Margarita. Burned in 1928 by the author and restarted in 1930, The Master and Margarita was Bulgakov's last completed creative work before his death. It remained unpublished until 1966—and went on to become one of the most well-regarded works of Russian literature of the twentieth century, adapted or referenced in film, television, radio, comic strips, theater productions, music, and opera.

The chickens come home to roost in this “brilliantly strange” blend of science fiction and political satire by the author of The Master and Margarita (The Guardian, UK). As the new reality of post-Revolution Soviet life begins to settle in, a gifted but eccentric zoologist named Persikov invents a machine that revolutionizes the growth of living organisms by drastically increasing their size and reproductive rates. Meanwhile, a mysterious plague has wiped out the entire poultry population of Russia, raising concerns about the government's ability to feed its people. Hoping to use Persikov's yet-untested invention to revive the decimated chicken population, the secret service confiscates Persikov's machine—with disastrous results… Inspired by H. G. Wells's novel The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, this science fiction novella delighted readers in 1925 Russia—and also disapproved of by certain critics who saw the tale as an anti-Soviet satire of the events of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and of post-war leadership.

Darkly humorous short fiction set in the early years of the Soviet Union, by the author of The Master and Margarita. A collection of comic, self-aware, and stylistically dazzling short stories touching on such familiar territory for many Russian authors as disease, famine, civil war, and political turmoil, Notes on a Cuff and Other Stories showcases the style that Mikhail Bulgakov would be known for during the literary and theatrical renaissance of 1920s Moscow and beyond. Written between 1920 and 1921 while Bulgakov was employed as a doctor in a rural hospital in the Caucasus region, Notes on a Cuff presents a series of first-person comedic sketches centered on a young writer (Bulgakov's semiautobiographical proxy) fighting to launch his literary career despite great personal and political odds. “A very good place to start on Bulgakov if you haven't read any of his work before.”—The Guardian

Blending biography with fiction, this portrait of the famed French playwright is written by a kindred spirit: the author of The Master and Margarita. Mikhail Bulgakov and Jean-Baptiste Poquelin—more commonly known as Molière—had much in common. The twentieth-century Russian satirist and dramatist and the seventeenth-century French playwright known for Tartuffe and The Misanthrope shared a love for finding material in the shortcomings and follies of the human condition. They both created their art under unpredictable and often repressive regimes—Bulgakov under the Bolsheviks and Molière under King Louis XIV—and often saw their work censored or banned. Both were also favored by influential men: King Louis was Molière's patron, and Stalin, despite his oppressive rule, was a fan of Bulgakov's work. Perhaps it is not surprising that Bulgakov penned such a vibrant, affectionate biography of one of the greatest masters of comedy in the Western canon. Written between 1932 and 1933 and eventually published posthumously in 1963, Bulgakov's portrait of the famed French playwright and actor goes beyond the usual boundaries of biography—the two men at times seem to be communicating with each other across the centuries through Bulgakov's lively prose and inspired interpretations of the life of a literary kindred spirit. Sliding delightfully between fiction and meticulous fact, The Life of Monsieur de Molière is not to be missed. “In its playfulness and hybridity, this book looks forward to contemporary'faction'that fuses fiction and biography.” —John Dugdale, The Guardian Book Review

“Bulgakov's strong point was his ability to amplify the roots of man's dementia, the howls of political pandemonium... a lively collection.” —The Washington Post Book World Mikhail Bulgakov's Diaboliad and Other Stories, comprised of Diaboliad, No. 13–The Elpit Workers'Commune, A Chinese Tale, and The Adventures of Chichikov, serves as an excellent introduction to this renowned Russian satirist and playwright's work. Black comedy, biting social and political commentary, and Bulgakov's unique narrative exuberance combine to tell the tales of labyrinthine post-Revolution bureaucracy; clashes between science, the intellectual class, and the state; and the high price to be paid for the promised utopian world of Communism in early Soviet Russia. Bulgakov's signature eloquent skewering of the various shortcomings of the world around and within him can be found on every page, and horror and magic interweave in a constant dance of the absurd—a dance that would reach its highest point both stylistically and thematically in Bulgakov's tour de force novel The Master and Margarita. “One of the most original voices of the twentieth century.” —The Guardian, UK

A comic novel about the theater world in early Soviet Russia and a “biting attack on censorship” (The Guardian, UK). From the author of The Master and Margarita, this semi-autobiographical satirical novel paints a vibrant portrait of life behind the curtains of the Russian literary and theater arenas in the early decades of the twentieth century. Maxudov is a failed novelist who, after contemplating suicide, adapts his novel into a play that—seemingly at random—is chosen to be produced at the renowned Independent Theatre. As it so often does in theater, chaos ensues—including bloodthirsty battles between the show's two co-directors (modeled on Stanislavsky, the famed inventor of Method Acting, and his co-director) over control of the production; near-constant drama brewing between the actors; and the playwright's own growing host of misgivings and insecurities about his place in the theatrical community. With each rehearsal turning more disastrous than the last, it becomes less and less clear whether Maxudov's play will ever be performed at all… “A masterpiece of black comedy.” —The Irish Times