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A Dog's Heart

by Mikhail Bulgakov, A.S. Byatt (Foreword)

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 9,100 ratings · 352 reviews

Through surreal, often grotesque humour, Bulgakovgivesan 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. Lamen...more

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Expected publication: June 1st 2013 by Hesperus Press (first published 1925)

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Sep 21, 2012 Nataliya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-classics, my-childhood-bookshelves, excellent-reads, i-also-saw-the-film, stalinism-and-such, 2012-reads

"The whole horror of the situation is that he now has a human heart, not a dog's heart. And about the rottenest heart in all creation!"

The recipe for success a la Bulgakov:

# Take a street dog, hungry and flea-ridden and wickedly smart (yes, he can even read - you gotta do that to survive on the cruel winter Moscow streets!).

# Take a brilliant and renown professor with a knack for brain surgery/transplants and desire to advance science.

# Add to the mix a dead good-for-nothing delinquent alcoholic's brain.

# Add the flavor of the Soviet mid-1920s, after the Socialist Revolution but still before the iron fist rule of Stalin's terror policy.

# Let Bulgakov's genius mix all of these ingredients together - and you will end up with a brilliantly written satirical fantastical commentary-on-contemporary-society laughter-through-tears piece of literary art that is Heart of the Dog.

Despite its short size, this book has endless layers. On the surface, it is a hilariously sad story about a science experiment gone very wrong in the direction that its creator did not quite anticipate, and all the funny antics of the newly created sorta-human Sharikov. Yes, that includes obsessive and funny cat-chasing even when the dog becomes "human".

On the other level, it is a cautionary warning about what happens when power falls in the hands of those who should not be allowed to yield it, and the dangers and pitfalls of the system that allows that to happen. Yes, that includes an easy step from killing cats to pointing guns at real people, and demanding sex in exchange for keeping a job, and of course the ultimate evil that was to penetrate the fabric of the years to come - writing denunciations for little else than petty personal gains.

"But just think, Philip Philipovich, what he may turn into if that character Shvonder keeps on at him! I'm only just beginning to realize what Sharikov may become, by God!"

"Aha, so you realize now, do you? Well I realized it ten days after the operation. My only comfort is that Shvonder is the biggest fool of all. He doesn't realize that Sharikov is much more of a threat to him than he is to me. At the moment he's doing all he can to turn Sharikov against me, not realizing that if someone in their turn sets Sharikov against Shvonder himself, there'll soon be nothing left of Shvonder but the bones and the beak."

I do believe that this book should be used as an illustration of the whole "laughing through tears" concept. It's the epitome of that concept. At times sidesplittingly funny with some sad overtones, it quickly crosses the territory into the mostly sad and even scary, especially given the context of the events still to come to this world of Soviet Union in the mid-1920s. Yes, it's the Stalin era and the Purges and the labor camps and denunciations and mass trials of the "enemies of the people" that I'm talking about. For the characters of this book, these events are just a few years away.

Keeping this in mind, you quickly realize that Bulgakov's short novel has undoubtedly way more impact on its reader now than it did back in the mid-twenties when it was written. Back then it was sad and funny, and held a note of warning, and shed the uncomfortable light on the parts of the pre-Stalinist pre-Purges society that were already beginning to feel uncomfortable. However, it ended on a quasi-happy note, the futility of which had only become fully visible years later. And now, for the readers that have the benefit of knowing what history had in store just a few short years later for the likes of those "undesirable elements" described in this book, the impossibility of anything remotely good coming out of the whole situation and of the entire future for Bulgakov's characters becomes painfully clear.

'But Philipp Philippovich, you're a celebrity, a figure of world-wide importance, and just because of some, forgive the expression, son of a bitch… Surely they can't touch you!'
'All the same, I refuse to do it,' said Philipp Philippovich thoughtfully. He stopped and stared at the glass-fronted cabinet.
'But why?'
'Because you are not a figure of world importance.'
'But what…'
'Come now, you don't think I could let you take the rap while I shelter behind my world-wide reputation, do you? Really… I'm a Moscow University graduate, not a Sharikov.'

C'mon, we all know that even world-class fame will never save Professor Preobrazhenky from Stalin's labor camps as eventually his higher-up protectors will themselves become victims of the new regime, and likely from a gunshot to the head in the middle of the night. And Bormental's fate will undoubtedly be very similar to that - just as Professor kinda-sorta anticipated already. After all, neither of them has made their unpopular views very secret.

'Yes, I don't like proletariat,' sadly agreed Philipp Philippovich."

And Professor Preobrazhenky's clearly anti-socialist views definitely would not make his ultimate fate anticipated by the reader after the events of this story any easier. His grumpy views of a cultured and educated person who is baffled and annoyed with the "new" society of coarseness and rudeness and inefficiency and "class struggle" and the undeserved in his opinion entitleness of those who perceive themselves as the oppressed working class and whom Professor in turn perceives as lazy and irresponsible people. And among the rambles of the old and annoyed man there may or may not be a grain of truth. Judge for yourself:

'What do you mean by "ruin"? Is it an old woman with a stick? A witch who smashed all the windows and put out all the lights? There's no such thing! What do you mean by that word?' Philipp Philippovich angrily inquired of an unfortunate cardboard duck hanging upside down by the sideboard, then answered the question himself. 'I'll tell you what it is: If instead of operating every evening I were to start a glee club in my apartment, that would mean that I was on the road to "ruin". If when I go to the lavatory I don't piss, if you'll excuse the expression, into the bowl but on to the floor instead and if Zina and Darya Petrovna were to do the same thing, the lavatory would be ruined. Ruin, therefore, is not caused by lavatories but it's something that starts in people's heads. So when these clowns start shouting “Stop the ruin!” – I laugh!'

..............

...........

But there is much more to this book than just the condemnation of the system. Had it been only that, it would have become quite dated quite soon. No, just like in Bulgakov's other works, it has a commentary on the state of humanity as a whole, on what makes us truly human versus merely humanoid. It is about the importance of morals and values, the etiquette and politeness and respect that make us really human, and moreso, civilized humans.

'I'm sorry, professor, not a dog. This happened when he was a man. That's the trouble.'
'Because he talked?' asked Philipp Philippovich. 'That doesn't mean he was a man."

And this respect for culture and etiquette and civility is what permeates the message of this book. This respect for what Bulgakov sees as the essentials of being human are precisely what puts him in the conflict with his contemporary Soviet state that believed in intimidation and terror as the viable way of governing and existing - the principles that newly formed humanoid Sharikov is very eager to learn and internalize. And neither Bulgakov nor Professor Preobrazhensky or Bormental are having that.

"Kindness. The only possible method when dealing with a living creature. You'll get nowhere with an animal if you use terror, no matter what its level of development may be. That I have maintained, do maintain and always will maintain. People who think you can use terror are quite wrong. No, no, terror is useless, whatever its colour – white, red or even brown! Terror completely paralyses the nervous system."

"Nobody should be whipped. Remember that, once and for all. Neither man nor animal can be influenced by anything but suggestion."

Well, my review is getting long and I have nothing bu praise for this book. So I will wrap up with the highest possible recommendation for any fans of Bulgakov or, really, any fans of well-written literature. 5 stars.(less)

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Aug 12, 2010 Paquita Maria Sanchez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I'm not even sure where to begin...there is so much going on in this little novella (particularly concerning the Russian government and its sociopolitical policies in the 1920's and beyond), that I'm be afraid that discussing it in detail would only serve to highlight my ignorance on the subject. So here it is! Me highlighting my ignorance on the subject...

I decided to read this story simultaneously with The Master and Margarita with the hope of completing The Heart of a Dog first. I did this na...more I'm not even sure where to begin...there is so much going on in this little novella (particularly concerning the Russian government and its sociopolitical policies in the 1920's and beyond), that I'm be afraid that discussing it in detail would only serve to highlight my ignorance on the subject. So here it is! Me highlighting my ignorance on the subject...

I decided to read this story simultaneously with The Master and Margarita with the hope of completing The Heart of a Dog first. I did this namely because, if goodreads is telling us right, The Master is fittingly considered Bulgakov's "masterpiece," and I have noticed over the years that reading an author's masterwork before reading anything else by them leads to an initial period of intense excitement, followed by a steady series of increasingly disappointing disappointments (yes, I said it). However, if you start with something "average" (no offense intended toward this story), you generally proceed through the author's remaining works with a more "fair and balanced" (couldn't help myself) view. It's sort of a big-picture approach, I suppose.

That said, for such a small story, this novella is dripping in allegories which refer to historical events and political views of which my knowledge is minimal, and for which one could write quite a hefty term paper. I caught the whole "dog as a reference/protest to the socialist notion of the New Soviet Man (Homo Sovieticus)" thing. It seems that Bulgakov wanted to illustrate that even if the Bolsheviks believed that the Russian people would evolve into a perfect specimen of mankind (sort of a "master race," if you will), they will never be able to truly separate themselves from the animals with which they concurrently evolved and are forever linked to. It also seems to indicate that complete and utter selflessness/self-control are not and will never been intrinsic qualities of the human race, as seen in the degradation of the (un?)fortunate dog-man-thing, Sharik. Further, Bulgakov seems to take issue with the semi-isolationist economic policies of the area, as well as the government centralization of power over most industries. There is additionally a "big brother" undertone to the Soviet government's interference in the lives of the characters, as seen in the many legal troubles that Doctor Preobrezhensky almost faces by simply stating his anti-communist stance. All of this is piled up in a relatively short and sweet novella to such an extent that you leave it feeling overwhelmed and impressed at the clever trick that has been played on you. You have literally GORGED yourself on knowledge of Soviet Russia, and filled your head to the brim with additional questions which will leave you feeling compelled to investigate this country's dark history in far greater detail.

WHEW. So you see, this one is a doozy. However, it is far more enjoyable than this semi-clinical review would indicate. Bulgakov employs an interesting technique of shifting the narrator and narrative style (from first to third person and back again, for example) that makes for quite a dynamic reading experience. The sections of the story told from Sharik's view as a dog seeing the worlds with almost-human, yet primarily survivalist eyes are particularly humorous, upsetting, and impressively crafted.

I would be interested to find out what it would have been like to read this novella as a citizen of Russia at the time that it was written (1920's). Of course, the novel was banned before publication and was not released in Russia until the mid to late 60's, so this is unfortunately something that we can never really know...(less)

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Sep 18, 2007 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, russian, fiction

One of the great tragedies of life is that so few people outside Russia have read this, and that I can't imagine any translation could even come close to capturing the setting and language of the original.

Professor Preobrazhensky is searching for a way to restore youth. In his research process, he experiments with replacing a dog's hypothalamus with that of a man, but instead of making the dog younger, the procedure gradually turns the dog into a man, with horrifying results. The book is an expl...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mary by: Kris

Shelves: fiction, russians-authors, 2012

What does it mean to be human? To be an individual? How unfortunate we must be, us, merely to be human beings. We can never escape what we truly are. We can nip and tuck our way around our flaws, but humans inevitably are always their own disastrous downfalls and worst nightmares.

Heart of a Dog is, before anything else, FUN. It's just really damn entertaining. We start with a sort of Woody Allen neurotic type stream of concsiousness narrative from a stray dog, Sharik, who is swooped up by doctor...more

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Nov 07, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, magical-realism, sci-fi, 2007, speculative-fiction, satire

Written in Russian in 1925 by the author of The Master and Margarita (his more famous book, which is on my to-read list), Heart of a Dog upset the Communist sensibilities so much that it was banned in Russia until the 80s. That should give some indication of the flippancy of this book, though it was probably quite easy to upset the Russian Communists (as I learned from reading Darkness at Noon).

It follows the story of Sharikh, a stray dog who follows a man home because he offers him sausage. The...more Written in Russian in 1925 by the author of The Master and Margarita (his more famous book, which is on my to-read list), Heart of a Dog upset the Communist sensibilities so much that it was banned in Russia until the 80s. That should give some indication of the flippancy of this book, though it was probably quite easy to upset the Russian Communists (as I learned from reading Darkness at Noon).

It follows the story of Sharikh, a stray dog who follows a man home because he offers him sausage. The man, Professor Philip Philoppovich Preobrazhensky, is a kind of doctor who specialises in putting animal parts - namely sexual organs - into human patients. He's wealthy, a bougois oasis within the Communist machine, keeping his lavish 7-room apartment with the help of his high-profiled clients. Another doctor, young Bormenthal, assists him, and he has two female servants - another luxory, to be sure. Needless to say, the building's Housing Committee hate him.

His latest experiment involves taking a human man's testicles and his pituitary gland and inserting them into Sharikh. The man is dead, the dog unconscious, and against the odds he survives. The experiment was part of the professor's search for rejuvenation, but instead the dog becomes a kind-of human man. He starts to talk, he loses most of his fur, he stands upright. But his habits are filthy, his temper bad, his intellect questionable. To make matters worse, he lets Shvonder of the Housing Committee educate him in the communist ways, and gets a job ridding Moscow of cats.

This is a fascinating, funny book full of ideas and themes. I was rather surprised that, among the nine people present at the book club meeting, a few like me really liked it, some were neutral, and some really didn't like it. We could come to no concensus on what it was really about, or even if we were reading too much into it. One idea is about the animal-like qualities of the Communists, another about forcing foreign ideas into people's heads before they're ready for them, as the "foreign" patuitary gland is put into Sharikh's. There were lots more ideas but, sadly, they've slipped my mind just now (the meeting was two days ago).

But I loved the tongue-in-cheek humour and irony, the moments of silliness which was refreshing after recently reading other Russian heavy-weights like Darkness at Noon and Anna Karenina. I loved the writing style: Bulgakov is able to conjure images in your head with only a few words. Having read this, I'm really looking forward to reading his more well-known book, The Master and Margarita, which I had never heard of until recently (and when I was looking for this book, it took me a while to realise it was the same author! Yep, I'm a complete twit). (less)

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Anita I hadn't thought of Master and Margarita in years - I remember thinking it was really good, and rather strange, but not much else. Thanks for remindin...more
28 de May 09:01

Shannon (Giraffe Days) I have A Prayer for Owen Meany at home, a friend of mine strongly recommended it. I haven't read anything by Irvine yet but I also grabbed Cider House...more
28 de May 09:07

Jul 14, 2012 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the marks of a good translation is that the reader does not feel as if he or she is reading one. This is certainly the case with Michael Glenny’s translation of Bulgakov’s The Heart of a Dog.

This book was completed in the USSR in 1925, but was not published in that country, or anywhere else, until 1987, 47 years after the author died.

The short novel was written during the era when Soviet science included Ivan Pavlov (of salivating dog fame) and Trofim Lysenko (of dubious genetics fame)...more

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Jan 29, 2010 MJ Nicholls rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borscht-and-kvass, novellas, worshipped

Mikhail Bulgakov is one of the most overlooked Russian satirists/geniuses of the 20th century.

I’ve read two works of his now, and both have floored me with the scathing cleverness of their satire, the sheer originality of their ideas, and the fact that both these Russian texts – written during Stalin’s reign – are instantly accessible to the modern reader.

The Heart of a Dog (1925) is a short blast against the ‘New Soviet Man’ – a comment on the declining power of Communism and the changing tides...more

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May 04, 2009 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

It is said that a dog is man's best friend. But what if that dog was given a human pituitary gland and suddenly turned human, the pituitary gland of a miscreant and a human of coarse behavior, a slightly grotesque human?

I'm still not sure why the doctor even bothered giving the dog the testicles of a man unless the doctor already figured out that most thinking stems from the lower regions. The dog did try to use his new testicles but Bulgakov left out the details.

I did like the narrative of the...more

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Jul 03, 2008 Nathaniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Heart of a Dog" is a much less ambitious book than "The Master and Margarita." It satirizes a smaller swathe of Russian society and seems a prisoner of its own circular plot structure. It also has a less multi-dimensional cast and a more single-themed, malicious humor.

When Dr. Phillipovich defends himself against the housing committee that seeks to distribute his seven room apartment to various working class citizens, the book is at its comical best. Shvonder and his earnest and uneducated comr...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Rhys rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the best writers of the 20th Century, Bulgakov was a genius at compressing a huge amount of action, thought and atmosphere into every page. He was also very good at showing scenes at slightly oblique angles, so that you don't quite "get" them immediately; there's always a delay before th...ings click, but it's a very small delay, just like in real life. That's why he's a realist even though he writes (sometimes wild) satiric philosophical fantasy. This magnificent novel is short but extre...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Pete Young rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Heart of a Dog has ingredients that make it a satirical classic, yet it would surely have been funnier still to its intended Russian audience. Bulgakov had constant problems with censors and he never saw publication of The Heart of a Dog in the Soviet Union in his lifetime: he died in 1940 and it was suppressed there until as late as 1987, appearing only a few years before the fall of Soviet Communism. Philip Philipovich, a rich and respected Moscow doctor who specialises in rejuvenation, de...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Germano Dalcielo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Una lettura sicuramente da consigliare. Il messaggio moralistico tra le righe è molto significativo: l'uomo non si deve sostituire a Dio o alla Natura. Non si può pretendere di modificare con la scienza un puro istinto animalesco ed estrarne fuori come da un cilindro un bagaglio comportamentale umano.
Alla fine il nostro Pallino viene sottoposto a un'operazione chirurgica "regressiva", (una variante di una lobotomia?), perchè se è vero che l'istinto canino era rimasto(l'odio per i gatti), è anche...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Andrew added it · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-fiction, soviet-era-fiction

The Master and Margarita was awesome, not only in its satire, but in its sense of deliverance. It is grand and theological. Heart of a Dog is firmly in the gutter. And that's OK, I'm a gutter kind of guy, but I could easily see how fans of Bulgakov's more famous novel might be disappointed. I thought this was a pretty delightful little story. It's quite short, which is probably a good thing. Satire tends to get old pretty fast. But Bulgakov keeps it brief, and packs a lot of punch in the process...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Dwight added it · review of another edition

http://bookcents.blogspot.com/2010/10...
Heart of a Dog is set in Moscow during the early 1920s. Professor Preobrazhenski treats the sexual dysfunctions and aging issues of the powerful and well-connected. For his talent and discretion, he is provided many privileges in the Soviet system. In one of his medical experiments, he transplants the testes and pituitary gland of a recently deceased criminal into a dog, turning the dog into a man. Unfortunately for the professor’s household and the city's...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Matthew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hilarious

This is a goofy, slapdash sort of a book. It's that special sort of humor that Soviet oppression inspired, reminded me of Daniil Kharms.

A scientist gives human testes and a pituatary gland to a dog, and then spends the rest of the book scolding the human/dog when he misbehaves. The human/dog attains a small government position that he dedicates to the eradication of cats.

I usually skip introductions, but would've welcomed one in this case, at least a few notes on the history of composition, but...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tiffany by: read for European Film & Fiction Class

Shelves: fiction-study_european-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I found this book to be a very nice read. It captivated me throughout the read. And the end really surprised me, because I was not sure how the story was going to resolve itself, in fact, until reading the epilogue, I thought they might have just killed Sharik.
Before starting the novel, and actually a bit into the pages of the book, I was not sure if the book was in fact about a dog or just a “dog” of a man.
I found it very interesting that the book was written in 1925, but it was not publishe...more I found this book to be a very nice read. It captivated me throughout the read. And the end really surprised me, because I was not sure how the story was going to resolve itself, in fact, until reading the epilogue, I thought they might have just killed Sharik.
Before starting the novel, and actually a bit into the pages of the book, I was not sure if the book was in fact about a dog or just a “dog” of a man.
I found it very interesting that the book was written in 1925, but it was not published until 1987. After reading it, I can see why. The commentary that the book makes on political bureaucracy would have been very unacceptable in the Soviet Union at the time of its penning. Also, Philip Philippovich's dealings with the apartment's housing committee demonstrated the political strife of the time.
The idea for the book itself, turning one creature into another...well, not exactly, brings with it a lot of possibilities, and I think that the author explored the notion down a very captivating avenue.
The transformation of Sharik, not just the physical transformation, but also the character transformation, was a drastic change. He went from a gracious, adopted mongrel to an abhorrent and vulgar man. But even being a “man” he could not escape his canine inclinations, still demonstrating some of these qualities, most notably the hatred for felines.
I liked that the author wrote portions of the book from the dog's own perspective. It helped the reader not only identify more with the dog character of Sharik, but also gave a clear perspective of where the his mindset was coming from before he became a man.
There was one curiosity that I had which was unresolved after finishing the book, which is Philip Philippovich's odd phrases: “...from Seville to Granada” and “toward the sacred banks of the Nile...” I am still unsure as to these phrases meanings. Though, the second kind of made me think of Egyptian mythology and Set, God of the Dead--like it is the mantra for playing with life and death?
(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-in-translation

Russian authors have an often well deserved reputation for heaviness of subject matter and style. While Leo Tolstoy explored everything in minute detail, for example, Fyodor Dostoevsky is seen as casting a foreboding shadow across Russian culture.

Mikhail Bulgakov, however, can be seen as just odd. The Master and Margarita is a screaming flight through politics hidden behind realism. There's a little more of the same in Heart of a Dog, although this book is a little more direct in its satire; mor...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Madalina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, sf, social

I beg the indulgence, for a few seconds, of all who are unfamiliar with romanian lit.

For the rest, I respectfully suggest for you of stronger a will and stomach, to give Enigma Otiliei a try, if you haven't already, as you might observe a similarity, in matters of grotesque stereotypes in parody, appealing, to your esthetic sense.

Back to the general public, a sly and unusual irony is used to describe, through the eyes of poverty-striken Bulgakov, the more or less appealing society, fresh out of...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Withanhauser rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up for a bus ride to DC, and nearly finished it during the trip down. "Heart of a Dog" is a 113 page novella. But, Bulgakov squeezes so much into those 113 pages that it reads like a much longer work. This isn't to say that the book is dense. It's a quick, enjoyable read; but, it's so allegorical that it feels like there's another 113 pages of message and metaphor lurking beneath the text.

The plot: A medical professor (Fyodor) in early Soviet Russia takes in a scrappy, wounded str...more I picked this up for a bus ride to DC, and nearly finished it during the trip down. "Heart of a Dog" is a 113 page novella. But, Bulgakov squeezes so much into those 113 pages that it reads like a much longer work. This isn't to say that the book is dense. It's a quick, enjoyable read; but, it's so allegorical that it feels like there's another 113 pages of message and metaphor lurking beneath the text.

The plot: A medical professor (Fyodor) in early Soviet Russia takes in a scrappy, wounded stray dog (Sharikov), and nurses him to full health and girth. Fyodor, in addition to be a practicing physician, is a curious endocrinologist, interested in the effect of the pituitary gland on individuals and species. As such, after several weeks of caring for Sharikov, he and his mentee (Dr. Bormenthal) endeavor to substitute Sharikov's pituitary gland with that of a man. Taking the body parts of a young, recently-dead gambler-drunkard, Fyodor and Dr. Bormenthal perform surgery on Sharikov, replacing his heart, brain, pituitary gland, and genitalia with that of the dead man. Sharikov not only survives the surgery, but is transformed into a small man as a result of it. Sharikov-the-man is a terrible person. He is lecherous (he sexually assaults Fyodor's female assistants), violent (he takes up employment in pest control, killing cats), and cowardly (he tries to have Fyodor arrested for not ascribing to Communist ideology). Worst of all though, Sharikov-the-man becomes a Communist, lamenting the unfairness of a society that allows men like Fyodor to own a seven-room home, but leaves others who work as hard with less material success. Sharikov-the-man's ideology is the last straw. One night, Fyodor and Bormenthal trap him and perform the surgery in reverse, turning him back into a dog. The novella closes with Sharikov-the-dog, having forgotten his past, appreciating how lucky he is to live in such a comfortable home, and falsely attributing his luck to having strong ancestry.

Without context, I would have read this as a strange, sci-fi book on the dangers of man-playing-god and dog-playing-man. Bulgakov believes that man is not above nature, and not meant to alter it (i.e. by changing dogs into men). But, he also believes that man exists on a different plane/level of nature than other animals. This is not to say that man is above dog/nature-- Sharikov-the-man is a terrible man, but is it because dogs aren't meant to be men, or because man is inherently terrible? Both seem likely.

The book begins with an introduction by James Meek, who explains that "Heart of a Dog" was written as political satire, and banned from publication by the Soviet state up until the 1980s. Given this information (which Meek then fleshes out), the book's subtext becomes even fuller. Sharikov-the-man is meant to represent, and mock, the New Soviet man (the ideal man of the Communist Soviet state). The implications of Sharikov-the-man in this role, and the message meant by it could fill a dissertation (e.g. the New Soviet man is unnatural? the new Soviet man is a perversion created by the gentleman class (the mensheviks) it seeks to bring down? the mensheviks and bolsheviks are both wrong? Communism is a forced ideology? Capitalism is inherently unfair and cruel, leading to surgery on nice dogs?). I'm impressed by how much Bulgakov seems to say in so few pages, while maintaining a quick and interesting plot. The book, in retrospect is a bit heavy-handed in saying so much, but that's what Bulgakov wants to do-- he's writing political satire. I'm curious to see what he does in his more famous, longer book, "The Master and Margarita." At more than three times the length of "Heart of a Dog" (though still under 400 pages), I imagine it is even more grand.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Jamyang Phuntsok rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-lit

This book should ideally be read before Bulgakov's masterpiece, The Master and Margarita. For in the latter, the black humour and satire evident in this book is played out on a much grander stage. Here, they almost appear subtle in comparison. But of course I am talking trash. For here you have a distinguished Moscow surgeon, well known of his 'rejuvenating' operations, taking in a stray dog named Sharik and planting it with pituitary glands and testicles from a dead criminal. The result is, a t...more

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Jan 05, 2008 Lex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-readable-classics, bonified-lit-ra-chure

I have no real idea about Communist Russian culture and this book feels entirely immersed in it. That being said, the over all themes feel very applicable to the fetishizing of "the proletariat" and the inexhaustible humanity of the upper class individualist. Fucking funny, ill humored, sickening, and totally creative. Explores the usual themes of humanitarianism and consciousness that I get off on. Lot's of ironic bungles in the bureaucracy.

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Aug 06, 2007 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People

Shelves: russian

If you knew how much I hate fantasy fiction, you might wonder at the human/animal transformation fetish, but both of these books are so grounded in the human experience it is like realism. Although you don't really have to know anything about post-revolution Moscow to read the book, you do need to keep in mind that this is a social/political commentary and not a moral allegory. I have Louisa Stephens to thank for introducing me to this one.

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Oct 23, 2012 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very strange story. I can't say I understood all the politics, but I got the satire. Very original story. Felt sorry for the poor dog! Worth the read - definitely a lot of black humor.

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Sep 17, 2012 Jenni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: glorious-russia, the-classics

Finished this with tears in my eyes at 1:54 in the morning, and anxiously awaiting my lecture on it tomorrow afternoon. It's THAT good.

In this short novel, written in the mid 1920's in Soviet Russia and not published until the 80's, Bulgakov manages a few different levels of awareness. The surface level is a moderately comedic story about a scientist that transplants a human's brain into a dog's body, at which point the dog (Sharikov) begins to become progressively "human". The human-like creatu...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Ozan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-literature

Bu kitap ile ilgili savunacağım iki husus var. Birinci husus: kitabın akıcılığı ve kolay okunabilen bir yapıda olması. Edebi olarak metni çok beğendiğimi söyleyebilirim. İkinci husus : kitabın sansüre uğramış olması. Kitabın rejim eleştirisi gereksiz ve abartılı olmasına rağmen her ne olursa olsun sansüre topyekün karşı olmak gerektiğini düşünüyorum. Bu kitabın rejim tarafından yasaklanmış olması ülkemizdeki Ahmet Şık olayını aklıma getirdi.

Bu kitap bence çok planlı ve ince düşünülmüş. Monarşis...more Bu kitap ile ilgili savunacağım iki husus var. Birinci husus: kitabın akıcılığı ve kolay okunabilen bir yapıda olması. Edebi olarak metni çok beğendiğimi söyleyebilirim. İkinci husus : kitabın sansüre uğramış olması. Kitabın rejim eleştirisi gereksiz ve abartılı olmasına rağmen her ne olursa olsun sansüre topyekün karşı olmak gerektiğini düşünüyorum. Bu kitabın rejim tarafından yasaklanmış olması ülkemizdeki Ahmet Şık olayını aklıma getirdi.

Bu kitap bence çok planlı ve ince düşünülmüş. Monarşist Bulgakov açısından Ekim Devrimi büyük bir kişisel dram olduğu aşikar. Hele ki 7 odalı bir daireniz varsa :) Romanını da bu ölçüde karşıt bir propanda aracı olarak yazmış. Okuduğum ilk kitabı olmasından ötürü ufak bir arama yaptım. 1.Dünya Savaşı'nı görmüş, 2.Dünya Savaşı'nın başlarında yaşamını yitiren bir yazar olarak savaş karşıtı bir söylemde bulunmaması da ayrıca enteresandır. Yaşadığı dönemde Hitler faşizmi ile ilgili de herhangi bir yazı kaleme almamış. Sanırım savaş ve faşizm Orwell gibi, Bulgakov'u da pek ilgilendiren konular değil.

Bu kitabı Kafka'nın Dönüşüm kitabına benzettim diyebilirim.(kapakta da ufak bir bilgilendirme var) Sharik ve Samsa. İkiside aynı kaderi paylaşmış iki karekter gibiler. Dönüşüm her ne kadar felsefi bir hazine olmasına rağmen Köpek Kalbi edebi olarak Dönüşüm'den çok daha nitelikli bir metne sahip. Her ne kadar akıcı bir metne sahip olsa da Köpek Kalbi'nin rejim eleştirisi pek bayağı. Sanıyorum kitaptaki eleştirilerden dikkate değer diyeceğim tek husus NEP(YEni Ekonomi Politikası). Bir bakıma sosyalizmin temellerine aykırı olsa da (üretken köylünün zenginleşmesi-yeni sınıflandırılmalara yol açması), sosyalizmin inşası açısından sermaye birikimi yaratmak adına bir adım olarak görüyorum. Bu konu tabi tartışmaya açık, bu konu ile ilgili liberaller ve marksistler açısından birçok farklı yorumlamalar bulunuyor.

Kaknüs Yayınları'nda çıkan baskısında birçok baskı ve imla hatası mevcut. Yer yer komünist kelimesinin yanlış yazılmış. Ayrıca NEP konusu ile ilgili verdikleri tarihlerde aynı şekilde hatalı tarihler. Kozmetik olarak kapak tasarımı pek sevimli değil. Dedalus kapağı daha güzel sanırım. Metnin akıcılığından, keyifli bir okuma sunmasından dolayı 3 yıldız veriyorum.(less)

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Mar 31, 2009 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-lit, socio-political

A painfully humorous read, this story is very much in the tradition of Gogol and Dostoevsky in employing the absurd to undermine and satirize the socio-political trends of the time. It was banned in the Soviet Union upon publication in 1925 and remained so until 1987. It tells the story of Sharik, a dog with an instinct for survival, and of the Professor that sought to use his innovative talent to cultivate something modern out of this dog. The story thus serves as a kind of allegory of the mons...more

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Apr 10, 2008 Trin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, russian-lit

Early 20th-century Russian satire. Like Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, I don’t feel like I fully get this book, and yet I still really enjoyed it. I guess in some ways, that’s a ringing endorsement! Seriously, though, I would recommend this. Especially to people I suspect are smarter than I am. *coughSiriacough*

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Mar 31, 2012 Steve Evans rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This savage attack on the urge to reform the unreformable in man was read aloud by its author over two sessions to a literary circle in Moscow in the 1920s, while the fledgling Soviet Union still allowed some freedom of expression. Permission to publish was not granted, and Bulgakov's career skitterd sideways. Ironically, he was saved by Stalin, who found one of his plays funny. Bulgakov was never arrested, and died of natural causes in 1939.

Russians found this a wonderful satire on the impossi...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Celestial Elf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heart of a Dog (1925) features a stray dog named Sharik who is adopted and becomes transformed into a human form by a prominent Moscow Professor. The creatures bad manners, aggressive profanity and heavy drinking hilariously characterize this incarnation of the 'New Soviet Man' as a satirical allegory of the Communist revolution's attempt to 'radically transform mankind'. Its publication was initially prohibited in the Soviet Union, it was not released in the country until 1987.
Bulgakov, perhaps...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Anna Khachiyan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Anna by: Mom

Shelves: russian-lit

From the author of The Master and Margarita, a less monumental, though no less masterful satire of Soviet Russia. Once again, Bulgakov is in top form with his depictions of bureaucratic blundering and apartment snatching in the beleaguered capital of Moscow. This time, the protagonist is a stray dog who undergoes a hushed scientific experiment (spoiler alert: they swap his pituitary gland and testicles for those of a deceased smalltime crook) to become the proletariat man—the indolent, crass and...more

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About Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was the first of six children in the family of a theology professor. His family belonged to the intellectual elite of Kiev. Bulgakov and his brothers took part in the demonstration commemorating the death of Leo Tolstoy. Bulgakov later graduated with honors from the Medical School of Kiev University in 1915. He married his classmate Tatiana...more Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was the first of six children in the family of a theology professor. His family belonged to the intellectual elite of Kiev. Bulgakov and his brothers took part in the demonstration commemorating the death of Leo Tolstoy. Bulgakov later graduated with honors from the Medical School of Kiev University in 1915. He married his classmate Tatiana Lappa, who became his assistant at surgeries and in his doctor's office. He practiced medicine, specializing in venereal and other infectious diseases, from 1915 to 1919 (he later wrote about the experience in "Notes of a Young Doctor.")

He joined the anti-communist White Army during the Russian Civil War. After the Civil War, he tried (unsuccesfully) to emigrate from Russia to reunite with his brother in Paris. Several times he was almost killed by opposing forces on both sides of the Russian Civil War, but soldiers needed doctors, so Bulgakov was left alive. He provided medical help to the Chehchens, Caucasians, Cossacs, Russians, the Whites, and the Reds.

In 1921, Bulgakov moved to Moscow. There he became a writer and became friends with Valentin Katayev, Yuri Olesha, Ilya Ilf, Yevgeni Petrov, and Konstantin Paustovsky. Later, he met Mikhail Zoschenko, Anna Akhmatova, Viktor Ardov, Sergei Mikhalkov, and Kornei Chukovsky. Bulgakov's plays at the Moscow Art Theatre were directed by Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.

Bugakov's own way of life and his witty criticism of the ugly realities of life in the Soviet Union caused him much trouble. His story "Heart of a Dog" (1925) is a bitter satire about the loss of civilized values in Russia under the Soviet system. Soon after, Bulgakov was interrogated by the Soviet secret service, OGPU. After interrogations, his personal diary and several unfinished works were confiscated by the secret service. His plays were banned in all theaters, which terminated his income. Destitute, he wrote to his brother in Paris about his terrible life and poverty in Moscow. Bulgakov distanced himself from the Proletariat Writer's Union because he refused to write about the peasants and proletariat. He adapted "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol for the stage; it became a success but was soon banned.

He took a risk and wrote a letter to Joseph Stalin with an ultimatum: "Let me out of the Soviet Union, or restore my work at the theaters." On the 18th of April of 1930, Bulgakov received a telephone call from Joseph Stalin. The dictator told the writer to fill an employment application at the Moscow Art Theater. Gradually, Bulgakov's plays were back in the repertoire of the Moscow Art Theatre. But most other theatres were in fear and did not stage any of the Bulgakov's plays for many years. At that time, the repressions, known as the "Great Terror" were started by an increasingly paranoid Joseph Stalin. Many of Bulgakov's friends and colleagues, like Vladimir Mayakovsky, Osip Mandelstam, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Anna Akhmatova, Mikhail Zoschenko and many others were censored, banned, prosecuted, exiled, imprisoned, executed, found dead, or just disappeared without a trace.

Mikhail Bulgakov died as a result of kidney failure.(less)

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Quotes from Heart of a Dog

“Kindness. The only possible method when dealing with a living creature. You'll get nowhere with an animal if you use terror, no matter what its level of development may be. That I have maintained, do maintain and always will maintain. People who think you can use terror are quite wrong. No, no, terror is useless, whatever its colour – white, red or even brown! Terror completely paralyses the nervous system.” — 39 people liked it

“Nobody should be whipped. Remember that, once and for all. Neither man nor animal can be influenced by anything but suggestion.” — 24 people liked it

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