Probably, there is no person interested in Russian literature who would not be amazed at the originality and depth of the novel “The Master and Margarita”. Indeed, in this work, the story about the sufferings of Yeshua Ga-Nozri and about the emotional throwings of Pontius Pilate is adjacent to comic scenes, and the devil appears in the form of a neat foreigner Woland, who arranges, as they would say today, shows that reveal human vices. Therefore, it is not surprising that at any time Bulgakov’s house in Moscow is full of sightseers who want to learn more about the man who wrote plays and novels, which make him laugh at the same time and think about the eternal questions of being.
Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasevich: biography (before arrival in Moscow)
The future writer was born in 1891 in Kiev. After graduating from high school, he entered the university (in Kiev) and studied at his medical faculty for seven years. Upon graduation, Mikhail Bulgakov asked to the front, but, having been refused due to health problems, worked for several months as a doctor in the frontline zone. Having lived for a year in Moscow in the house of an uncle doctor, in 1918 he returned to Kiev and began private practice as a venereologist. A few months later, Mikhail Bulgakov was mobilized into the army of the Ukrainian people's republic, and then into the Armed forces of the South of Russia. As part of the Third Terek Regiment, the writer fought in the North Caucasus against the Red Army and printed several articles and stories in local “white newspapers”. Having contracted typhus, M. A. Bulgakov was unable to leave the country with most of his colleagues, and was forced to stay until recovery in Vladikavkaz. There he wrote his first dramatic works.
Life in the capital
At the end of 1921, Bulgakov and his wife arrived in Moscow and began to actively publish his essays and feuilleton in the capital's newspapers. After 2 years, the writers were accepted into the All-Russian Writers Union, and in 1926 they staged “Turbin Days” at the Moscow Art Theater, a play that Joseph Stalin liked very much. Despite this, M. A. Bulgakov constantly became a target of criticism from well-known literary officials. As a result, by 1930 the writer fell into disgrace, and his plays ceased to be staged in the theaters of the country, and the works were not published. Then Bulgakov wrote a letter to the government of the USSR asking either to allow him to work, or to allow him to emigrate abroad. As a result, Joseph Stalin himself called the playwright and advised him to try to get a job at the Moscow Art Theater. Of course, the writer succeeded without difficulty, and he even tried himself as an actor. In 1939, after the “Leader of the Peoples” banned the staging of a playwright play called “Batum”, the health of the latter began to deteriorate sharply. Among other things, he was almost blind and the last version of “The Master and Margarita” was forced to dictate to his wife. Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasevich, whose biography is full of tragedy, died on March 10, 1940 and was buried in the Novodevichy cemetery.
Museums in Moscow and Kiev
Today, the capital operates the Cultural Center “Bulgakov House”. In addition, in the same building, but in a different entrance, the State Museum dedicated to the writer is located. Bulgakov’s hometown also has an interesting tourist attraction associated with the name of the writer. This is the so-called Turbin House. It is located in Kiev at the address: Andreevsky descent, d. 13.
Bulgakov House: address
Interest in the work of the writer who wrote “Masters and Margarita” is growing every year. This is also evidenced by the fact that in the "Bulgakov" places of Moscow it is always crowded. And there you can meet people of different ages. Especially popular are tours of the Bulgakov House, which is located at ul. Bolshaya Sadovaya, house 10, 6th entrance. Getting there is not difficult. To do this, you need to get to the Mayakovskaya metro station, walk in the direction of the sign "to the Bulgakov Museum" and pass the Concert Hall named after P. Tchaikovsky, the building of the Satire Theater, the garden "Aquarium" and the building of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
State Museum: Background
As already mentioned, Bulgakov’s house in Moscow is the location of two cultural institutions at the same time related to the writer and his work. The first of them was founded by order of the government of the capital in the so-called “bad apartment”. The former “communal apartment”, located on the 4th floor of house number 10 on Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, got that name from the writer himself, who described it in “The Master and Margarita”. It was in one of her little rooms in the autumn of 1921 that Mikhail Afanasevich settled down with his wife after moving to the capital. There he wrote many of his early works.
In 1990, a fund was created in order to turn a communal apartment into a Bulgakov museum. However, a few more years would have passed before the efforts of the most devoted fans of the talent of the ingenious writer were crowned with success. Be that as it may, Bulgakov’s house in Moscow became a museum and turned into one of the sights of the capital.
State Museum: Description
Bulgakov House-Museum consists of 8 exhibition rooms. The following expositions are placed in them:
- writer's office;
- “Communal kitchen”;
- “House of Pigit”;
- “Blue office”;
- living room;
- “On the eve”;
- “Bad staircase”;
- exhibition project "Shadows";
- An exhibition of linocuts by Iker Spocio, representing illustrations for the novel “The Master and Margarita”.
Among the most valuable exhibits are Bulgakov’s personal belongings, including furniture and other interior items from the apartment where he spent the last years of his life. Also there you can see several copyright manuscripts of his famous works.
The Fifth Dimension Project
As you know, the museums of the world over the past decade have sought to move away from the academic canons and become more interactive. There is also a tendency to implement socially significant projects. Bulgakov House-Apartment Museum did not stand aside. In particular, his project “The Fifth Dimension” is designed to enable people with vision problems to get involved in the work of the writer, as well as to get acquainted with the exhibits through hearing and touch. In particular, the museum is filled with music of that era in which the heroes of Bulgakov existed and he created. In addition, you can hear interesting audio recordings there.
Museum Theater
Bulgakov’s house in Moscow is the haven of the cultural center, which is located on the ground floor of the building. Its opening took place in 2004. The pride of the center is a one-of-a-kind electronic exhibition dedicated to M. A. Bulgakov, which contains more than 500 documents and photographs, as well as videos of plays and films staged and shot based on the writer's works.
Excursions
Both cultural institutions - both the Bulgakov House-Museum and the Center - are glad to visitors. And there are always many who want to see exhibits related to the author of “Masters and Margarita” and “Turbine Days”! In particular, an excursion to Bulgakov’s house is popular not only with Russians, but also with foreign tourists. If you want to visit the cultural center, then you can see a monument to the writer by N. Bazyuk and a model of the monument from the famous project of A. I. Rukavishnikov, which is dedicated to the legendary novel “The Master and Margarita”. Of great interest is the bas-relief at the entrance of the same author.
Theater, quest, tram
In the Bulgakov House, you can not only get acquainted with museum exhibits, but also watch performances performed by artists of the troupe operating at the museum. And the State House Museum invites all fans of the writer’s creativity to play an exciting quest, to participate in which you need to study the work “The Master and Margarita”.
As you can see, Bulgakov’s House is a place that you simply need to visit. And most importantly, you need to take your children there, even if they prefer computer “shooters” to books. According to reviews, most teenagers who have visited there are running to the library or looking for electronic versions of Bulgakov’s works.