Books
by Mikhail Bulgakov
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A Dog's Heart |
What happens when a rather touching stray dog, accidentally scalded by water, is rescued by an eminent scientist only to become the victim of a bizarre experiment in humanisation, involving the implanting of the pituitary gland and testicles of an alcoholic criminal? You've guessed it, disaster. Written in 1925, but not published in Russia until 1987, this short novel is both magic realism and a comic, scathing satire on the Stalinists' attempts to manipulate human behaviour.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 65 Summer 2012) |
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The Master and Margarita |
Satan and his cohorts visit Moscow and cause havoc; Pontius Pilate examines his conscience about the crucifixion of Jesus and Margarita pledges her soul to the devil to save her lover. Three stories masterfully interlinked with humour, satire and a great deal of magic realism. Cowardice is the worst vice and imagination and the free word will triumph over terror and oppression, whether imposed by Caesar in the time of Jesus or Stalin in Soviet Russia. Mesmerising!
(Denise Lewis - bwl 64 Spring 2012) |
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