Claim profile

Mikhail Bulgakov

Russian author (1891–1940)

  • Fame72.9
  • Momentum2.8
  • Wikipedia75.5K
Source-basedStable
Lived 1891–1940, aged 49
WritersWriter / Author
  • Wikipedia
    92 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1891–1940
    Aged 49
Summary
Updated 2026-08-29

He wrote a novel so combustible the Soviet state buried it for decades after his death — then it surfaced in 1966 and rewrote the canon. The Master and Margarita made Bulgakov one of the great Russian voices of the 20th century, even though Stalin personally banned half his work and he died obscure.

Biography

About

Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov was born 15 May 1891 and wrote novels and plays that put him on a collision course with Soviet power. The White Guard, the plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight, and The Days of the Turbins — the state banned much of it between 1922 and 1926, deciding it "glorified emigration and White generals". Stalin himself ordered the suppression. Strange exception: Stalin loved The Days of the Turbins, attended it at least 15 times, once called a theater personally to demand its production after Bulgakov had fallen from favor. The contradictions never resolved into sustained succes…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Bulgakov
saidundated
Quotations are sourced from published English translations of the original work. The translations are abbreviated as:
— B/O= Diana Burgin and Katherine O'Connor
Mikhail Bulgakov
saidundated
Kant ought to be arrested and given three years in Solovki asylum for that "proof" of his!' Ivan Nikolayich burst out completely unexpectedly.
— Book One in 'Never Talk to Strangers', MG, here Woland, Berlioz and Ivan are talking about Kant's views on existence of God
Mikhail Bulgakov
saidundated
In fact, I'm beginning to fear that this confusion will go on for a long time. And all because he writes down what I said incorrectly.
— Book One in 'Pontius Pilate', B/O, here Yeshua is speaking to Pontius Pilate
Mikhail Bulgakov
saidundated
Oh, no, you don't look like a halfwit,' the procurator replied quietly and smiled some strange smile.
— Book One in 'Pontius Pilate', P/V, here Pontius Pilate addresses Yeshua
Mikhail Bulgakov
saidundated
I do not know these good men,' replied the prisoner.
— The Master and Margarita (1967)
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Stable
72.9
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum2.8
Historical26.7
Now attention14.1
Source confidence70.0
Completeness70.0
Global rank
—
Country rank
—
Category rank
—
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence