White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov

White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov

The first complete and accurate English translation of Bulgakov's classic novel, accompanied by a substantial historical introduction

White Guard, Mikhail Bulgakov's semi-autobiographical first novel, is the story of the Turbin family in Kiev in 1918. Alexei, Elena, and Nikolka Turbin have just lost their mother--their father had died years before--and find themselves plunged into the chaotic civil war that erupted in the Ukraine in the wake of the Russian Revolution. In the context of this family's personal loss and the social turmoil surrounding them, Bulgakov creates a brilliant picture of the existential crises brought about by the revolution and the loss of social, moral, and political certainties. He confronts the reader with the bewildering cruelty that ripped Russian life apart at the beginning of the last century as well as with the extraordinary ways in which the Turbins preserved their humanity.

In this volume Marian Schwartz, a leading translator, offers the first complete and accurate translation of the definitive original text of Bulgakov's novel. She includes the famous dream sequence, omitted in previous translations, and beautifully solves the stylistic issues raised by Bulgakov's ornamental prose. Readers with an interest in Russian literature, culture, or history will welcome this superb translation of Bulgakov's important early work.

This edition also contains an informative historical essay by Evgeny Dobrenko.

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940) qualified as a doctor but became a professional writer in 1919. He was asked by the Moscow Arts Theatre to turn his novel, The White Guard, into a play. At first delighted, he was subsequently horrified by the cuts and alterations demanded by the company and the censor. Nevertheless he went on to write many more plays, becoming arguably the most important Soviet playwright of the period. Keith Dewhurst was born in Oldham and studied at Cambridge University. In addition to his writing for stage and screen, he has been a yarn tester in a cotton mill, a football journalist (touring with Manchester United during the 1998-99 season), an arts columnist for the Guardian and a Television Presenter. He has written 16 stage pays, including 'Rafferty's Chant', 'Pirates', 'Brecht in 20', 'Corunna!', 'Kidnapped', 'The Miser', 'The Magic Island', 'The Bomb In Brewery Street', 'One Short', 'Luggage', 'Black Snow' and 'Animals of Farthing Wood' many of which were premiered by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court. He has also written 18 TV screenplays and 2 films, 'The Empty Beach' and 'The Land Girls'.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780897332460
ISBN 10	0897332466
Title	White Guard
Author	Mikhail Bulgakov
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Academy Chicago Publishers
Year published	1987-01-30
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable