Mikhail Bulgakov
One of the Greatest Writers of Magical Realism
Jahvauntea Howard
ITT Technical Institute

Magical Realism Magical Realism is a is a genre where magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. Although it is most commonly used as a literary genre, magic realism also applies to film and the visual arts. One example of magic realism (Fictional Fantasy) occurs when a character in the story continues to be alive beyond the normal length of life and this is subtly depicted by the character being present throughout many generations. On the surface the story has no clear magical attributes and everything is conveyed in a real setting, but such a character breaks the rules of our real world.
History & Background of Magical Realism While the term magical realism in its modern sense first appeared in 1955, the German art critic Franz Roh first used the phrase in 1925, to refer to a painterly style also known as Neue Sachlichkeit (the New Objectivity), an alternative championed by fellow German museum director Gustav Hartlaub. Roh believed magic realism is related to, but distinctive from, surrealism, due to magic realism's focus on the material object and the actual existence of things in the world, as opposed to the more cerebral, psychological and subconscious reality that the surrealists explored.[6] Magic realism was later used to describe the uncanny realism by American painters such as Ivan Albright, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker and other artists during the 1940s and 1950s.
Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov was born on May 15, 1891, in Kiev, at that time in the Russian Empire (The Soviet Union). He was one of seven children (the oldest of three brothers) of Afanasiy Bulgakov, an assistant professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, and Varvara Mikhailovna, a former teacher. Friendship, respect, and mutual love reigned in Bulgakov's large family and happy home. From childhood Bulgakov was drawn to theater. At home, he wrote comedies, which his brothers and sisters acted out. In the Caucasus he started working as a journalist, but when they were invited to return as doctors by the French and German governments, Bulgakov was refused permission to leave Russia because of the typhus. That was when he last saw his family; after the Civil War and the rise of the Soviets most of his relatives immigrated to Paris.
Mikhail Bulgakov’s Greatest Works
The Master and Margarita, which Bulgakov began writing in 1928 and which was finally published by his widow in 1966, twenty-six years after his death, led to an international appreciation of his work. The book contributed a number of sayings to the Russian language, for example, "Manuscripts don't burn" and "second-grade freshness". A destroyed manuscript of the Master is an important element of the plot. Bulgakov had to rewrite the novel from memory after he burned the draft manuscript. The novel is a critique of Soviet society and its literary establishment. The work is appreciated for its philosophical undertones and for its high artistic level, thanks to its picturesque descriptions (especially of old Jerusalem), lyrical fragments and style. It is a frame narrative involving two characteristically related time periods and/or plot lines: a retelling of the gospels and a description of contemporary Moscow. Other notable novels he wrote included The Heart Dog, Black Snow, & The White Guard. All of his novels were translated by other international writers for greater confidential achievement.

Mihkail Bulgakov’s Awards & Influences
A minor planet, 3469 Bulgakov, discovered by the Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina in 1982, is named after him. Salman Rushdie said that The Master and Margarita was an inspiration for his novel The Satanic Verses. Pearl Jam's song "Pilate" featured on their album entitled Yield has its lyrics inspired by the novel. The lyrics were written by the band's bassist Jeff Ament. The 2011 play Collaborators by British playwright John Hodge is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Bulgakov and Joseph Stalin. In Moscow, two museums honor the memory of Mikhail Bulgakov and The Master and Margarita. Both are situated in Bulgakov's old apartment building on Bolshaya Sadovaya street nr. 10, in which parts of The Master and Margarita are set. Since the 1980s, the building has become a gathering spot for Bulgakov's fans, as well as Moscow-based Satanist groups, and had various kinds of graffiti scrawled on the walls. The numerous paintings, quips, and drawings were completely whitewashed in 2003. Previously the best drawings were kept as the walls were repainted, so that several layers of different colored paints could be seen around the best drawings. There is a rivalry between the two museums, mainly maintained by the later established official Museum M.A. Bulgakov, which invariably presents itself as "the first and only Memorial Museum of Mikhail Bulgakov in Moscow.
Conclusion
Mikhail Bulgakov became one of the most influenced writers during the rise of Magical Realism. His famous novels and plays were all later adapted into the popular culture of several countries who found his work as astonishing, compatible, fascinating, and over-achieving. His work has improved the Soviet Union era due to unfortunate problems and government bans which forced him to cross equal paths with delegated people. Born a Ukrainian, he motivated Russia of his popular story writing and concept of true professionalism.

Reference http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleid=1083158, Dean Giannakos, MD, FCCP http://articles.chicagotribute.com/1996-08-11/entertainment/9608110100_1_master-and-margarita-dead-school-english-translation: August 11,1996

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3873.Mikhail_Bulgakov

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/169/mikhail-bulgakov-and-astun-gustav-matos-two-authors-and-peroids-collide ; By Alessandro Seren Rosso; 2010, Vol.2 No.2 | pg.11

http://www.masterandmargartia.eu/en/01bulgakov/biografie.html