“In its playfulness and hybridity, this book looks forward to contemporary 'faction' that fuses fiction and biography.” —John Dugdale, The Guardian Book Review
Mikhail Bulgakov and Jean-Baptiste Poquelin—known simply as Molière both on stage and behind the pen—had much in common. The 20th century Russian satirist and dramatist and the 17th century French playwright shared a love for mining the shortcomings and follies of the human condition for dramatic material. 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 playfully between fiction and meticulous fact, The Life of Monsieur de Molière is not to be missed.
The Alma Classics edition of The Life of Monsieur de Molière is translated by Mirra Ginsburg with the authorization of the Bulgakov Estate and Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Mirra Ginsburg is a renowned translator of magnificent works of Russian literature, such as Master and Margarita, also by Bulgakov. Her translation reflects the clear, humorous, and profound language of the original with colloquial English idioms and phrasings. Readers without experience in Russian literature will find this translation to be accessible and fun, even though the subtext of Bulgakov’s works is the murky, mysterious underbelly of Soviet culture.
Mikhail Bulgakov was a Russian playwright, novelist, and physician best known for his satirical classic, The Master and Margarita. Born in Kiev in 1891, Bulgakov was drawn to both literature and the theater from his early youth. As a young man, Bulgakov studied to become a doctor and volunteered with the Red Cross during the First World War. He practiced medicine for some years after WWI, and was eventually drafted as an army physician during the Russian Civil War. He contracted typhus and nearly died at his posting, and after a shaky recovery he began his professional transition from physician to playwright and author.
From 1919 until his death in 1940, his plays, short stories, and novels enjoyed degrees of critical and popular success, but Bulgakov also endured a great deal of criticism and censorship due to his propensity to mercilessly satirize the ethical and political shortcomings of life in the Soviet Union. His witty, biting, and frequently grotesque storytelling style caught the eye of Joseph Stalin, earning him some degree of political immunity. By the end of the 1920s, however, Bulgakov’s career had ground to a halt due to a government ban on the performance or publication of his work. Bulgakov’s relationship with Stalin protected him from arrest and execution, but he could not publish any of his works or stage his plays for the remaining years of his life.
Over the next decade, the ailing writer began work on The Master and Margarita, which would be his last major creative effort before his death. A brilliant satire of Soviet society, it was not published until 1966, 26 years after his death. Although he never experienced stable success and renown during his life, Bulgakov’s body of work is now firmly situated within the pantheon of great 20th century Russian literature and theater.
Mikhail Bulgakov and Jean-Baptiste Poquelin—known simply as Molière both on stage and behind the pen—had much in common. The 20th century Russian satirist and dramatist and the 17th century French playwright shared a love for mining the shortcomings and follies of the human condition for dramatic material. 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 playfully between fiction and meticulous fact, The Life of Monsieur de Molière is not to be missed.
The Alma Classics edition of The Life of Monsieur de Molière is translated by Mirra Ginsburg with the authorization of the Bulgakov Estate and Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Mirra Ginsburg is a renowned translator of magnificent works of Russian literature, such as Master and Margarita, also by Bulgakov. Her translation reflects the clear, humorous, and profound language of the original with colloquial English idioms and phrasings. Readers without experience in Russian literature will find this translation to be accessible and fun, even though the subtext of Bulgakov’s works is the murky, mysterious underbelly of Soviet culture.
About the Author
Mikhail Bulgakov was a Russian playwright, novelist, and physician best known for his satirical classic, The Master and Margarita. Born in Kiev in 1891, Bulgakov was drawn to both literature and the theater from his early youth. As a young man, Bulgakov studied to become a doctor and volunteered with the Red Cross during the First World War. He practiced medicine for some years after WWI, and was eventually drafted as an army physician during the Russian Civil War. He contracted typhus and nearly died at his posting, and after a shaky recovery he began his professional transition from physician to playwright and author.
From 1919 until his death in 1940, his plays, short stories, and novels enjoyed degrees of critical and popular success, but Bulgakov also endured a great deal of criticism and censorship due to his propensity to mercilessly satirize the ethical and political shortcomings of life in the Soviet Union. His witty, biting, and frequently grotesque storytelling style caught the eye of Joseph Stalin, earning him some degree of political immunity. By the end of the 1920s, however, Bulgakov’s career had ground to a halt due to a government ban on the performance or publication of his work. Bulgakov’s relationship with Stalin protected him from arrest and execution, but he could not publish any of his works or stage his plays for the remaining years of his life.
Over the next decade, the ailing writer began work on The Master and Margarita, which would be his last major creative effort before his death. A brilliant satire of Soviet society, it was not published until 1966, 26 years after his death. Although he never experienced stable success and renown during his life, Bulgakov’s body of work is now firmly situated within the pantheon of great 20th century Russian literature and theater.
