Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (1891-1940) was a Russian novelist and playwright born in Kyiv, whose work blends sharp satire, fantasy and a sustained critique of Soviet society. He is best known for The Master and Margarita, written in secrecy over more than a decade and published only posthumously - in a censored form in 1966-67. Many of his works were banned during his lifetime, yet he is now regarded as one of the most widely read Russian writers of the 20th century.
Johnny Depp announced that he will produce and possibly star in the first English-language film adaptation of the novel Master and Margarita; filming is planned for the end of 2026.
The Russian film adaptation of Master and Margarita (director Michael Lockshin, 2024) achieved worldwide box office earnings of 29.1 million dollars and in 2025 was released in cinemas in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Sweden, Czech Republic and other countries.
The Theater in Dlouha in Prague presented in October and November 2025 a production of Master and Margarita directed by Martin Kukucka and Lukas Trpisovsky.
The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory decided in March 2024 that objects named after Bulgakov are symbols of Russian imperial policy.
The Russian film adaptation of the novel Master and Margarita (2024) became a box office hit - in Russia it was watched by over 6 million viewers and box office earnings exceeded 2.3 billion rubles, despite state media criticizing the film.
