The Fatal Eggs »

Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov was born in 1891 in Kiev, the eldest son of a professor at a theological seminary. After graduating from the medical school at Kiev University in 1916, Bulgakov served as a field doctor in the Russian civil war and was eventually transferred to the Caucasus, where he would later decide to pursue a full-time literary career. His brothers enlisted as well, but ended up in Paris, while Mikhail remained in Russia. He began writing around 1916; by 1924, he had completed his first major novel, "The White Guard." "The Fatal Eggs" was first published in 1925 in the journal "Nedra." Bulgakov faced extensive censorship and criticism for his allegedly anti-Soviet views, and many of his works remained unpublished until long after his death. "The Fatal Eggs," an early short novel, is the only one of Bulgakov’s better known works that was published in its entirety during the author’s lifetime. During his life, Bulgakov was best known for his plays, such as "Days of the Turbins," based on "The White Guard" and rumored to be particularly favored by Joseph Stalin. However, relentless hounding by Soviet critics effectively stifled his writing career by the late 1920s. In 1930, with all of his plays banned and no theater willing to employ him, Bulgakov wrote to the Soviet government asking for permission to emigrate. Stalin telephoned Bulgakov personally and denied his request, appointing Bulgakov to a position at the Moscow Art Theater instead. During the last decade of his life, Bulgakov continued to work on plays, stage adaptations, and short stories, as well as his best known and final novel, "The Master and Margarita." Bulgakov died from inherited nephrosclerosis in 1940, leaving the editing of "The Master and Margarita" unfinished. Today, Bulgakov is considered one of the most important Russian literary figures of the 20th century.

As the turbulent years following the Russian revolution of 1917 settle down into a new Soviet reality, the brilliant and eccentric zoologist Persikov discovers an amazing ray that drastically increases the size and reproductive rate of living organisms. At the same time, a mysterious plague wipes out all the chickens in the Soviet republics. The government expropriates Persikov's untested invention in order to rebuild the poultry industry, but a horrible mix-up quickly leads to a disaster that could threaten the entire world.

This H. G. Wells-inspired novel by the legendary Mikhail Bulgakov is the only one of his larger works to have been published in its entirety during the author's lifetime. A poignant work of social science fiction and a brilliant satire on the Soviet revolution, it can now be enjoyed by English-speaking audiences through this accurate new translation.

Includes annotations and afterword.