Bulgakov: Heart of a Dog

Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog, written in 1925 but not published in Russia until 1987, is one of the most successful early works by the author of the Master and Margarita. In places horrific, in places riotously farcical, it tells the story of the Faustian Professor Preobrazhensky, who transfers to the body of a stray dog the testicles and pituitary gland of a convicted ne’er-do-well murdered in a pub brawl. The Professor soon has reason to fear that he resulting creature will take over not only his cultural environment, but the whole of society. He terminates the experiment.

The introduction of this edition places this book in the context of Bulgakov’s life and works, while the commentary gives essential information for understanding contemporary allusions, subtext and wordplay. There is a glossary of useful and relevant vocabulary.