Books

U-u-u-u-u-u.: the first publication --- First publication in Russian of Bulgakov's suppressed satirical masterpiece, printed by Romanian exile Alex Flegon as a whole issue of 'Student', a literary magazine describing itself as 'Zhurnal Avangarda Sovetskoi Literaturi' [Magazine of the Avant-Garde of Soviet Literature]. Unpublishable in the Soviet Union until 1987, the text was circulated only in clandestine samizdat editions, until 1968 when the Russian text was published in two magazines, here, and by the Frankfurt journal Grani. Flegon always maintained that his London printing preceded the Frankfurt, though no priority has been definitively established. This year also saw the publication of Michael Glenny's English translation, which constitutes the novel's first appearance in book form. The first book from appearance of the Russian text was by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1969. Provenance: Robert Eden Martin (b. 1940; American lawyer and noted collector of Russian, British and American literature works). Physical description:Octavo (21.3 x 14 cm). 96 pp. incl. title and 3 pp. of ads. Original illustrated wrappers. Condition:Front cover slightly spotted. Bibliography:

A novella by Mikhail Bulgakov, 'Heart of a Dog' is a darkly comic satire on the Russian Revolution and Soviet communism. It tells the story of a dog named Sharik who is transformed into a human.