Following his spell in the Caucasus, the writer Mikhail Bulgakov headed for Moscow and became appointed secretary to Glapolitprosvet’s literary department. To make money, Bulgakov began working as a correspondent for the newspapers Krasnaia Panorama, Nakanune, and Gudok which were all based in Berlin. In 1925 Bulgakov wrote Heart of a Dog for the almanac Nedra. The book combined elements of science fiction with bitter satire and had as its main concern the fate of scientist and the misuse of his discovery. Most of the features that were to be later present in The Master and Margarita were already to be seen in this early work, chiefly the blending of: realistic and fantastic elements, a concern with ethical issues, and grotesque situations.

All of the plays Bulgakov wrote between the years 1922 and 1926 were banned from production. Stalin personally banned ‘The Run’, a play concerned with fratricidal war, as it was deemed to glorify emigration and White generals. Why not use your apple discount codes to buy it for your iPad?