Heart of a Dog

Historical Context and Significance

Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov is a satirical novella written in 1925 that critically examines the social and political changes in Soviet Russia following the October Revolution. The book tells the story of Professor Preobrazhensky, who conducts an experiment to transform a dog, Sharik, into a human, resulting in the creation of Sharikov—a crude and ignorant being. The novella serves as an allegory for the Soviet regime's attempts to create a 'new man' and criticizes bureaucracy, social inequality, and moral decay. Heart of a Dog had a significant impact on Russian literature and culture, becoming a symbol of resistance to totalitarianism and the absurdity of radical social experiments. The work was banned in the USSR for a long time, but after its publication in 1987, it quickly gained popularity and recognition, becoming a classic of Russian literature.