Diaries and Selected Letters

by Mikhail Bulgakov, Roger Cockrell (Translator)

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Literature, Memoir

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was a Russian writer, medical doctor, and playwright. His novel The Master and Margarita , published posthumously, has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.

He also wrote the novel The White Guard and the plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also called The Run ), and The Days of the Turbins . He wrote mostly about the horrors of the Russian Civil War and about the fate of Russian intellectuals and officers of the Tsarist Army caught up in revolution and Civil War.

Some of his works ( Flight , all his works between the years 1922 and 1926, and others) were banned by the Soviet government, and personally by Joseph Stalin, after it was decided by them that they "glorified emigration and White generals". On the other hand, Stalin loved The Days of the Turbins (also called The Turbin Brothers ) very much and reportedly saw it at least 15 times.

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction, by Roger Cockrell
Note on the Text

--Diaries and Selected Letters

Notes
Index

Extra Material:
Mikhail Bulgakov's Life
Mikhail Bulgakov's Works
Select Bibliography

[shakespeareandspice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any Bulgakov reader.

Additionally, I would also recommend it to anyone somewhat familiar with Russian culture (history, politics, theater, lit, etc.) because it’s a fantastic look at Russian cultural society in general. Lots of wonderful little historical and political comments and observations that add spice to reading about Bulgakov’s daily life.

[Stace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts in 1921 in post-Revolution Moscow where Bulgakov is trying to make a living as a satirical writer, peddling articles and stories to magazines while working on his early books. During this period most of the entries are from his diaries and they show just how hard life was for all. Everything is in short supply, inflation is rampant and Bulgakov’s political views are not to everybody’s taste.

After he stopped writing his diary we only have letters to read and they are all from him to various contacts. (We never get to see the replies). Generally these letters describe a more prosperous time although he is constantly battling with the censors and poor health.

Roger Cockrell has included several pages of notes which were situated at the rear of the paperback version that I was reading; requiring me to regularly flick back and forth to make the most of the text. This tended to disrupt my reading, particularly on page 190 which had no less than 11 notes.

On occasions letters repeated themselves when he wrote simultaneously to different correspondents. There were also a couple of letters which were nothing short of long rants.

After the notes there was a section of extra material which gave 25 pages on Bulgakov’s life and work which I found very interesting and which helped to complement and explain the letters.

Before this book arrived I had never heard of Mikhail Bulgakov yet he clearly left a massive legacy even though the majority of his compatriots could not read or see his work until long after his death.

Overall the book was interesting and informative but at times I had to make an effort to keep the pages turning. That effort has been rewarded by an increase in my knowledge and I have already ordered a copy of his novel Master and Margareta. I have given Diaries and Selected Letters three stars.

Reviewed by Clive on www.whisperingstories.com

[Monty Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bulgakov was convinced of his literary worth. Posterity agrees. But it must have taken great self assurance to hold on to this self belief in the midst of his cancellation and persecution by the Soviet authorities. His upper middle class background, moderate conservative opinions, dislike of the regime (“Bolsheviks are crooks”), and even the cut of his well made suits marked him out as a “class enemy.” Why didn’t he get a bullet in the back of the head, like so many other artists and writers? This is indeed a mystery, not least because huge numbers of Stalin’s victims were far to the left of Bulgakov. Bulgakov was oppressed, but Stalin – for reasons we cannot know – decided, on some whim, not to have him killed.

For those who like me love his works (especially White Guard, which is more to my taste than The Master and Margarita) this is a good insight into the sad and complicated life of an unjustly victimised literary giant. The writings are a selection only, and from the last twenty years of Bulgakov’s life. Some are repetitious or even a bit boring and commonplace, and Bulgakov doesn’t always emerge with great credit. He had a lot to complain about, and he does complain. The women in his life (he had three wives) are only a shadowy presence in his writings: one feels he ought to have made more of them. A family photo taken in Bucha made me realise with a shock this is the same town in the Ukraine which was the scene of a massacre of more than 400 civilians by Putin’s soldiers in 2022. I am reminded that the tragedy and sorrow of Bulgakov’s life was only one amongst a vast ocean of human suffering, all too prevalent in that part of the world, then and now.

To some extent, Bulgakov is diminished as a human being in these pages – I liked him less at the end than at the beginning. His whining and complaining might be justified, but he does go on. And yet as a great writer his position is assured. His own self assurance never wavered despite privation, cruelty, oppression and sickness. And his books are read and admired long after the vile regime that persecuted him has crumbled away.

[Rupert Wolfe-Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading if you love Master and Margareta and want some insight into the author's incredible story of survival, in a regime that was murdering anyone who (like Bulgakov) had objections about the system.

[b · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating reading - especially the diaries - but if you have a positive opinion of Bulgakov and want to keep it that way, you shouldn’t read this book.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a very compelling read on two fronts:

1/ it gives you a kind of autobiographical insight into a truly, remarkable man and his struggles throughout his life.

2/ it also provides a historical insight into the Bolshevik rise of the USSR and communism, and how it really affected the everyday person in Russia.

Given how prolific Bulgakov’s name is now in terms of Russian Literature, it’s truly astonishing to think of how much the Communist world knocked such a creative man down for the sake of portraying an illusive image of a region that was anything but like the message they were trying to spread about it.

There is also a 3rd point that should bare in people’s minds; the way it tells of the simple gifts in life that we now get to do, that the USSR Government restricted others from doing. Being able to travel, to speak freely, to have creative content published and displayed without such a debilitating rate of censorship. Personally, I’m finishing this book feeling empathetic compassion for this man that couldn’t do the simple things that we take for granted, which has made me want to do these things more, on his behalf. I’m also thankful to be able to say that I have been to the park in Moscow that has been dedicated to him and his stories.

Bless you, Mikhaïl Bulgakov. I’m sorry they didn’t recognise you in your time, but you are being recognised now.

[Dominic Carrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the sad, frustrated life of Bulgakov. A literary master who never experienced any sustained success in his lifetime, he was heavily censored in the USSR and not allowed to travel. After reading this collection, I want to re-read Master and Margarita because it will mean so much more. Recommended for those who specifically have an interest in Bulgakov and life in 1920's Moscow.

[Isobel Davidson Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like reading books about writers this is one for you! The translation is fantastic. Its unfortunate that the most interesting part is Mikhail Bulgakov's diaries, which he stopped writing in 1926 after his flat was raided. The diaries are an insight into the extreme poverty and chaos of post-revolutionary Russia. The letters give off the impression of an extremely self-obsessed person, which makes them less interesting. But that might partly be the editing.

[emil · Rating 5 out of 5]

lavyu mikhail b

[mellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i’d known this man irl he would’ve been my very best friend and my absolute worst enemy all at the same time

[Ihate Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cancel Culture" before it was cool