5 reasons to read Mikhail Bulgakov’s ‘Heart of a Dog’
In 1925, the writer wrote the satirical story ‘Heart of a Dog’ in just three months, which became his calling card and has since been widely quoted. It also impressed the censors – its publication was banned for more than 60 years. Why is this work definitely worth reading a century later?
1. It’s one of the funniest and wittiest works of Russian classics
Of course, few texts can compare with the novels ‘The Twelve Chairs’ and ‘The Golden Calf’ by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov, but the story in ‘Heart of a Dog’ is considered much funnier than Gogol's ‘The Government Inspector’, the satirical tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin and even the stories of Chekhov. Perhaps, only the works of Mikhail Zoshchenko could stand in the same row with this text.
It’s a document of the historical era
The story, like a newspaper feuilleton, accurately describes all the processes that took place in Russia in 1925. Firstly, the change of the political system: Although the story is caricatured, it very reliably depicts the Bolsheviks in leather jackets, singing uplifting songs, organizing discussions and being concerned about the victory of the world revolution. Secondly, Professor Preobrazhensky, a luminary of medicine, operates on a dog not to turn it into a human, but to conduct an experiment on rejuvenation. Prolonging life and youth is a task that truly occupied the minds of doctors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thirdly, the "new economic policy", communal apartments and other signs of life in the young Soviet state are also detailed in the story.
3. It’s a treasure trove of quotes that every educated person knows
Every language has a gold mine of quotes that all educated people recognize without specifying the source. The story in ‘Heart of a Dog’ has added many catchphrases to this list of quotable phrases: "Don't read Soviet newspapers before lunch!" – "Ruined devastation doesn't sit in closets, but in heads!" – "Only landowners who weren't slaughtered by the Bolsheviks snack on cold appetizers and soup. A person who respects himself at all operates on hot appetizers" – "Never commit a crime, no matter who it is directed against. Live to old age with clean hands" – These are a few of the more famous of them. But, in general, there are dozens of such expressions in the work.
4. It ponders the question of what makes a person human
As a result of Professor Preobrazhensky's operation, the dog ‘Sharik’ becomes a man named ‘Polygraph Polygraphovich Sharikov’. However, the human appearance of a new citizen of Soviet society does not guarantee his human dignity. Sharikov is petty, selfish, cunning, impulsive and embittered. He’s an alcoholic with criminal tendencies. While the dog Sharik (we know this from his internal monologues) was sweet, kind, smart and insightful. It turns out that the dog was better than the person the doctors turned it into.
5. It’s still relevant today
In addition to the social satire on the historical events of the early 20th century, the story contains many timeless themes: eternal (or extended) youth, the limits of interference in the affairs of nature, humanity, education, stupidity, abuse of power. Times change, but Bulgakov's formulas still work.
