Mikhail Bulgakov Biography

Mikhail Bulgakov was a Russian doctor turned writer. As a writer, he is best remembered for his popular novel ‘The Master and Margarita’, a major 20th century masterpiece. The son of a state councilor cum assistant professor, he grew up with an interest in theater and wrote scripts which his siblings acted out. Bulgakov became interested in European and Russian literature when he enrolled at the First Kiev Gymnasium in 1901. However, he chose a different career path and went on to study medicine at Kiev University. His medical experience was extensively utilized during World War I when Bulgakov volunteered as a medical doctor with the Red Cross. Later on, he worked as a surgeon. After becoming ill with typhus, he abandoned his medical career to take up writing. Bulgakov wrote several novels during his writing career that became inspirations for numerous movies and theatrical plays. His last years were spent as a consultant at the Bolshoi Theatre. The legendary writer died from nephrosclerosis in March 1940, at the relatively young age of 48.