Heart of a Dog by Bulgakov
The Slavic Literature Pod - A podcast by The Slavic Literature Pod
Show Notes: This week, Matt and Cameron take up their surgical tools to dissect Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog, in which a dog is turned into a man, a creation is turned into a proletarian, and a doctor is - maybe - turned into a murderer. Written in 1925, the novella reflects Bulgakov’s reactions to the changing world around him in ways general and specific - we’ll tease apart what we find interesting and not about this approach. Take a seat and grab your favorite scalpel, it’s time to re-create Frankenstein’s work! Major themes: The Balalaika is stored in the pituitary gland, Novels as forum, Criminal Testes. 02:30 - The sound you hear is me immediately googling “Kentucky’s Best.” 23:40 - Link to “Bad Words Are Not Allowed!” Language and Transformation in Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog” by Eric Laursen 31:01 - It’s The Russians by Hedgewick Smith 36:10 - “Reflections of Soviet Reality in “Heart of a Dog” As Bulgakov’s Way of Discussion with the Proletarian Writers” by Irina Shilova 42:03 - “Bulgakov's Early Tragedy of the Scientist-Creator: An Interpretation of The Heart of a Dog” by Diana Burgin Buy this book with our affiliate links on Bookshop or Amazon! Our links: All links | PATREON | Merch | Watch on YouTube | Discord Socials: TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook The music used in this episode was “soviet march,” by Toasted Tomatoes. You can find more of their work on Bandcamp and Youtube.
