The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov (EPUB)

Description

In Kiev during the Russian Civil War the Turbin household is sanctuary to a ragtag, close-knit crowd of friends and family. As the brothers prepare to fight for the White Guard, friends charge in from the riotous streets amidst an atmosphere of heady chaos, quaffing vodka, keeling over, taking baths, playing guitar, falling in love. But the new regime is poised and in its brutal triumph lies destruction for the Turbins and their world.The novel is powered by that distinctively Russian mix of wild hilarity and desperate heartache. There are deeply wrenching moments, terrible family losses and brilliantly staged war scenes that encapsulate the horror of Russia’s turbulent, blood-drenched history.The civil war was a very cruel one – on both sides. The Whites killed 100,000 Jews in organised pogroms. White cossacks dragged Red prisoners over the ground with lassos. The reds had little to learn from them, they massacred complete villages. Priests were speared on poles, and on the bodies of White officers were tied cages with rats, the cages were then heated so that the rats gnawed their way through the bodies.The real victims were, of course, the civilians. Red and White terror cost millions of lives. Famine and disease spread. And, as if the civilians had not enough to fear from the White and the Red armies, they had to be on alert for each other too: plunderings, killings, robberies and even cannibalism were reported. Between 1918 and 1923 the civil war cost about 15 million Russian lives.This story throws light on the smallest part of an epic, horrifying drama involving all that life holds; hope, love, fear and death.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Details the story of a middle class familyFighting on the czarist side in Kiev. Shows how they are abandoned by their leaders , the Germans stirring up trouble as they leave, the Ukrainian Cossacks taking the city briefly only to be run out by the Bolsheviks. We see the breakdown of all forms of government and yes only the criminals have guns. We see the mass programs on the Jews from all sides but the Ukrainian Cossacks seem to hold the record only challenged by Hitler in the 1940s.What I did not like is that the translator was not mentioned and we can also see that while it was at first published in the early 1920s it was latter banned by the soviets. A good book and I recommend the novel.

⭐This early novel written by Mikhail Bulgakov is a tremendous, suggestive read, and before the reader undertakes to dive into his more famous literary landmark, “The Master and Margarita”, he should sample the waters with “The White Guard”. Depicting the travails of the Turbin family in Kiev, “the City”, in precariously independent Ukraine the year following the Russian Revolution, this novel counterposes an eloquent picture of one family’s serene and privileged comforts chez eux with, outside their little household, the descending storm of impending Bolshevik invasion, political chaos ( Russian Bolsheviks vs. “White Guardist supporters of the tsarist autocracy vs. German soldiers aligned with the temporarily ruling Cossack Hetman vs. Ukrainian partisans led by Simon Petlyura), military devastation of Kiev (How familiar this sounds to today!) and general economic disaster. The translator has presented a suggestive, eloquent translation of this work, which operates on a narrative basis of realism crossed with impressionistic flashes. What is more, he includes a biographical summary of Bulgakov’s life and career, along with a summary treatment of his major works, in prose and drama. Well worth a purchase; this book will provide a splendid entree into this important writer’s literature and life.

⭐Following the fall of the Romanov Tsar, the people of the Ukraine, still divided between the Russian and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, find themselves divided between Monarchists, Russians, Ukrainians, Socialists, Nationalist and, of course, the Bolsheviks. The mixture of languages within the land, the largest in Europe, after Russia itself, can be a bond among brothers or a weapon to root out spies, opportunists, or simply those you don’t want in your little group.Bulgakov, from Kyiv, which he calls simply The City, takes a look at all the events through the eyes of the various members of the Turbin family and their apartment full of friends and neighbors.As in his book, the Master and Margarita, his prose is lyrical, with descriptions of the snow covered land and the snow covered city. This is interspersed with dramatic crowd scenes, as the various rumors, hopes and fears of the people of The City are expressed. This story was later turned into a play, but reading the story gives us the same feeling of standing among people, right in the action.The release of this Kindle edition is timely, as current events seem to recreate the post-World-War-I themes.

⭐”The White Guard” has everything I expect in a Russian novel: a large cast of people with long and difficult names that wander in and out, often mundane things happen, and in the end many plot lines remain unresolved. However, given its focus on the Turben family of Kiev in the wake of the fall of Tsar Nicholas II, it’s hard to expect much resolution. Given that the family is educated, middle class and the two brother have served in the Russian army, we know things are going to be more difficult for them as time goes on, and perhaps it’s merciful that Bulgakov doesn’t opt to show that. It’s obvious that he loved the Turbens, since he treats with them in his efforts as a playwright, as well.Instead, the novel shows us a slice of life for a group of people who are experiencing a political upheaval they don’t truly understand, while dealing with the ups and downs of everyday life: a runaway husband, deaths, a serious illness, but also odd humor and an unexpected romance. Perhaps the real message of “The White Guard” is that while life outside the apartment can be upsetting and does have an impact on us, the events that really matter are those inside our intimate circles of families and friends. .

⭐The ideals expressed and inspired, but after the tsarist government is removed, what fills the void … and how long would they have to wait for it to be established?First who will establish it? The idealistic Bolscheviks (Trotsky) seem to be busy elsewhere while the White Guard, including the Turbin family, and mixed WWI veterans and student cadets, simply trying to preserve their homes against Petlyura, the perceived demon tyrant, Cossacks, and Hetman waves trying to establish dominance and cleansing ahead of new government.Bulgakov brings all this to life with dissident artistry, fear, and an unknown future.

⭐Another interesting book by the virtually unknown russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov. Though not as good as Heart of a Dog and A Country Doctor’s Notebook, this one is also a good historical document on the life of russians, namely in Ukraine, during the bolchevique revolution. The story covers the adventures and sufferings of the Turbin family closely linked to the Tsarist Army, that after the revolution had to face the White Guard, formed by the cossack militias and fighting the remnants of the imperial army and the germans, and that after the capitulation of Germany in WW1 fought the bolchevique army!The book is a nice and interesting testimony of the end of Imperial Russia and with it of an era of culture and enlightenment in that country.

⭐The story of the Turbine Family in Kiev during the Russian Civil War. The Russian upper classes learn to survive in Kiev being threatened by Nationalists, Germans and Reds. Very well written and thought provoking. Historical fiction.

⭐I had read this Russian classic before in paperback, and had really enjoyed it. But I found this Kindle edition very disappointing. There are a lot of typos and formatting errors which in some places are so bad it really breaks up the story. Nor could I find any credits for the translation. It might not be very pricey, but I would rather have paid more and got something properly proofread. I don’t think this is the complete version, either, but I am not sure without rereading the paperback (and it was to avoid having to track downa hard copy version that I bought the Kindle one). As far as the novel goes, it’s a wonderful, evocative piece of work. As far as this edition goes, it’s inadequate.

⭐I’m puzzled by some of the reviews left about this book, which do not appear to refer to this translation at all. It does not have omissions and is not the 1971 edition, which does. It is a well written translation with helpful notes and further material.

⭐This is a poor quality translation I believe. There is another translation that would have cost a a few pounds more but would have been well worth it. As it is it’s hard to figure out who is who and what is going on. Not what you need if you are trying to read on a kindle on your daily commute.

⭐Having hugely enjoyed the Master & Margherita, and having studied and taught the Russian Revolutions for many years, I hoped this would be both enjoyable and fascinating. It was neither and so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

⭐Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Good story and excellent translation

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