Books

Drawing closely on Bulgakov’s personal experiences of the horrors of civil war as a young doctor, The White Guard takes place in Kiev, 1918, a time of turmoil and suffocating uncertainty as the Bolsheviks, Socialists and Germans fight for control of the city. It tells the story of the Turbins, a once-wealthy Russian family, as they are forced to come to terms with revolution and a new regime.

Praise for The White Guard

‘A powerful reverie…the city is so vivid to the eye that it is the real hero of the book.’ – New Statesman

‘One of those few emancipated Soviet writers who firmly believe-and still believe-that to create is to choose.’ – Saturday Review

‘Worth reading in any language.’ – Library Journal

‘The White Guard captures the tumult, madness and confusion of revolution.’ – Independent’

‘An epic chronicle in the manner of War and Peace.’ – John Bayley, The Guardian

‘Everyone should read it.’ – The Times