Mikhail Bulgakov

Antonina W. Bouis

A Dog's Heart

This Is Bulgakov'S Surreal Tale Of A Moscow Doctor Who Befriends A Stray Dog And Performs On It A Human Transplant - With Disastrous Consequences.

An Appalling Story

Shelby Doherty

Patrick Book

This is quite a fine story, but I think the translation on my copy left something to be desired. I understand that the dog's name in the original Russian would be used to describe a purebreed animal or one spoiled by its owner; the irony, by the story's end, is clear. But in this translation he's referred to as "Furball," which does not come close to the same connotation. There was also the occasionally modern idiom used in the story, which doesn't really correspond with a text that is nearly a century old.

Likes:
- A really entertaining story. I felt very engaged and had a hard time putting it down. I just wanted to know what would happen next.
- Truly love the name Polygraf Polygrafovich Sharikov.
- A really short novel but it doesn't feel that anything is missing or not fully developed.

Dislikes:
- No fault of the book itself, but I personally do not know enough about Russian history and culture to fully understand the satirical critique present in this story.
- I did find the changing perspective somewhat disorienting at the beginning but after reading the introduction provided with my copy I can better understand why the author may have chosen this technique

Safiya 

" Much satire, very soviet, wow, so philosophical, such a fun..."
I guess that through his fantastic satirical stories, Bulgakov gave the world the best way ever through which one can criticise an idea..
What started as an unseemingly a critique of the soviet era, was actually a powerful statement against the system.. That made me laugh about some puns, and realising only later the hidden meaning behind it.

A Dog's Heart

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