A Dog's Heart (Hesperus Modern Voices) - Softcover

Bulgakov, Mikhail

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843914026 ISBN 13: 9781843914020

Publisher: Hesperus Press, 2013

Synopsis

Through surreal, often grotesque humour, Bulgakov gives an ingenious new twist to the "Frankenstein" parable, in a new translation of one of the most popular satires on the Russian Revolution and on Soviet society

Having been scalded by boiling water earlier that day, and with little chance to survive the severe winter night, a stray dog is left for dead on the streets. Lamenting his fate, he is ill-prepared for the chance arrival of a wealthy professor who befriends him and takes him home. However, it seems the professor's motives are not entirely altruistic—an expert in medical experimentation, he sees his new charge as the potential subject for a bizarre operation, and implants glands from a dead criminal in the dog. The resulting half-man, half-beast is, as to be expected, a monstrosity, yet one that fits in remarkably well with Soviet society.

About this title

About the Author

Mikhail Bulgakov is best known for The Master and Margarita, widely hailed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. A. S. Byatt is the acclaimed Booker-prize winning author of such works as The Biographer's Tale, The Children's Book, Little Black Book of Stories, and Possession.

Review

Bulgakov's (The Master and Margarita) 1925 satire of the Russian Revolution and the utopian socialist vision of the 'New Soviet Man' tells of a surgeon who transplants human body parts into a dog, which results in the dog turning into an uncouth, narcissistic, and ill-mannered lout of a human being. British actor Roy McMillan (Bulldog Drummond) gives a spirited reading of this new translation of Bulgakov's comic gem. After opening the book with a howl, he narrates the novel in an appropriately dispassionate manner, voicing the doctor as confidently arrogant, giving the dog a working-class (Cockney) accent, and also adeptly rendering the other characters. While likely to do best among those having some knowledge of Russian literature and the Soviet era, this title will appeal to any listener enjoying satirical fantasies, especially as read by McMillan. --Library Journal, Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Comm. Coll. Lib., Lynchburg

I greatly enjoyed Roy McMillan's perfect reading of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel, A Dog's Heart. This is perfect satire commenting not just on human nature but on 1920s Russia, when communism produced some strange paradoxes. In this tale we meet a respected surgeon who transplants human glands into a stray dog with dire results. The dog takes on all of the worst traits of the human donor. Sadly, Bulgakov never lived to see this short novel - or any of his plays - published. Stalin banned all of his work although he spared the writer from the dire fate of some of the other intellectuals of his era. This unabridged audiobook offers many chuckles as well as food for thought. --Alide Kohlhaas, Seniors Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Hesperus Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1843914026
• ISBN 13: 9781843914020
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 130