Советский Союз в эпохе Булгакова

Русский > Контекст

Among other things, The Master and Margarita is a satire. In order to under-stand it completely, one should know its context. Bulgakov, born in 1891, was youngster and adolescent in the last years of the regime of czar Nicolas II. During the civil war following the revolution he took the Whites' side.

When Stalin came to power he had a very difficult time. His stories, novels and plays were very popular among the public, but unanimously abused by the state critics and banned by the authorities. Though Stalin said that he loved Bulgakov's plays, he was prohibited to publish them, and the staging of his plays was forbidden.

In the chapter Historical and political context you can read how the Soviet Union could emerge, and how the country was organized under Stalin, with a special focus on the secret police which played a major role, not only in The Master and Margarita, but also in daily life of the soviet citizens.

In the chapter Economical context two other important themes from the no-vel are discussed: the housing policy and the currency policy.

In the chapter Social and cultural context some social and cultural aspects of the Russian society are described which were not different in the Stalin period than in the periods before or after. But knowing them can help to bet-ter understand some parts of the novel.

In the chapter The literary scenery we describe not only the environment in which writers such as Bulgakov had to try to survive, but also the poet Alek-sandr Pushkin, who is often mentioned in The Master and Margarita, and who, still today, is of great importance for all Russians.



Поместить эту страницу |