The White Guard

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, this is a highly topical reprint of Bulgakov's classic novel. Set in his native Kyiv in 1918, it vividly dramatizes a critical and contested period in the history of both countries, in which nationalists and Bolsheviks—amongst others—struggle for ascendancy.

Kiev—Kyiv—is in chaos. Russia has withdrawn from World War I, but the Germans have set up a puppet government in Ukraine. Civil war rages—the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia, but the anti-revolutionary White Guard who have fled to Ukraine are rallying to resist. In the meantime, Ukrainian nationalists are camped outside the capital, and a Red army is on its way to bring everyone to heel.

While all this is going on, the Turbin family try to eke out their existence in Kyiv and discuss what they should do. They are exactly the sort of family—monarchist intelligentsia—for whom the future looks particularly menacing.

Bulgakov's brilliant and evocative prose brings the city and the moment unforgettably to life and sheds some fascinating light on the complex interwoven histories of Ukraine and Russia.