That he received Bulgakov. When a brilliant writer is a bad person. M. A. Bulgakov: drug addict and traitor. How does a habit start?

In February 1917, Bulgakov nevertheless went to Moscow to be treated for his addiction. However, it was not the doctors, but the faithful Tatyana who helped Bulgakov get rid of his drug addiction. In the spring of 1918, the couple returned to Kyiv, where, on the advice of her stepfather Bulgakov, Tatyana began diluting each dose of morphine with distilled water. And in the end she began to inject her husband only with water. The couple lived in Kyiv for a relatively calm year and a half. Mikhail Bulgakov and Tatyana Lappa: fire, water and copper pipes. (the article was taken from the site aif.ru, I don’t know whether you can trust the objectivity of the yellow press’ presentation of history, but so be it, even though it is very similar to a previously published article) Medical University student Mikhail Bulgakov “Find Tasya, I must apologize to her,” whispered a terminally ill man into the ear of his sister bending over him. The wife stood in the corner of the room, trying her best to hold back the tears that were coming. Mikhail Bulgakov died hard. It was hard to believe that this exhausted man was once a slender, blue-eyed young man who later became a great writer. A lot happened in Bulgakov’s life - there were dizzying ups and times of lack of money, dazzling beauties loved him, he knew many outstanding people of that time. But before his death, he remembered only his first love - about the woman with whom he had treated in a bad way and to whom he wanted to atone - about Tatyana Nikolaevna Lappa. Family test…SUMMER in Kyiv. Beautiful couples are walking along the embankment, carved chestnut leaves are swaying, the air is filled with some unknown, but very pleasant aromas, and after provincial Saratov it seems that you are at a fairy-tale ball. This is exactly how 16-year-old Tatyana Lappa remembered her visit to her Kyiv aunt in 1908. “I’ll introduce you to the boy, he’ll show you the city,” the aunt said to her young niece. Tanya and Mikhail were ideal for each other - they were the same age, both from good families (Tatyana’s father was the manager of the Saratov Treasury Chamber, and Mikhail was from the family of a professor at the Kyiv Theological Academy), so it is not surprising that tender feelings quickly broke out between the young people feelings. When the holidays ended and Tanya went back to Saratov, the lovers continued to correspond and maintain a relationship, much to the displeasure of their families. The parents could be understood - Bulgakov’s mother was alarmed that her son had abandoned his studies at the university, and Tatyana’s parents did not really like the telegram sent by Bulgakov’s friend. “Telegraph the arrival by deception. Misha is shooting himself,” read the telegram that arrived at Lapp’s house after Tatiana’s parents did not let Tatyana go to Kyiv for the holidays. But, as usual, obstacles only fueled the feelings of the lovers, and already in 1911 Bulgakov went to Saratov to meet his future father-in-law and mother-in-law. In 1913, the parents finally came to terms with the wishes of their children (by that time Tatyana had already become pregnant and had an abortion) and gave their consent to the marriage. They stood in front of the altar, beautiful and happy. And neither of them could penetrate the seriousness of the moment - both were constantly tempted to laugh. “How they suit each other in their careless nature! “- Bulgakov’s sister Vera once said about the young lovers, and I must say that at that moment it was the true truth. However, over time, not a trace remained of the former carelessness. Trial by war

The writer's first love is Tatyana Lappa In 1916, all students of the medical university where Bulgakov studied were distributed to zemstvo hospitals. Mikhail and Tatyana ended up in Smolensk. On the very first night they brought a woman in labor, her heated husband threatened the young, confused doctor with a pistol and shouted: “If she dies, I’ll kill her!” The birth took place together: Tasya read the required page from a gynecology textbook, and Bulgakov tried to follow the book’s instructions exactly. Fortunately, everything worked out. After some time, Bulgakov was mobilized to the front, and as a military doctor he began working in hospitals. Tatyana, as the wife of a Decembrist, followed her husband and, like him, cared for the wounded, working as a nurse. “Hold the legs that he amputated. The first time I felt sick, then nothing,” Tasya wrote in her memoirs. After returning from the front, Bulgakov worked as a zemstvo doctor in the small village of Sychevka near Smolensk, and Tatyana also went there. There were many patients, most of them were dying from hunger and lack of medicine, and the young doctor could do nothing to help his charges. It was then that Bulgakov became addicted to morphine. Living with a drug addict is always a challenge, and if there is devastation and lack of money all around, it becomes a real disaster. To get morphine, one had to sell family jewelry and give up the most basic necessities. During his withdrawal periods, Bulgakov either became aggressive (he threatened his wife with a weapon, once threw a burning Primus stove at her), or began to cry and beg his wife not to take him to a shelter for drug addicts. Tatiana again had to have an abortion - Mikhail was afraid that because of his craving for drugs, the child would be born sick. In February 1917, Bulgakov nevertheless went to Moscow to be treated for his addiction. However, it was not the doctors, but the faithful Tatyana who helped Bulgakov get rid of his drug addiction. In the spring of 1918, the couple returned to Kyiv, where, on the advice of her stepfather Bulgakov, Tatyana began diluting each dose of morphine with distilled water. And in the end she began to inject her husband only with water. The couple lived in Kyiv for a relatively calm year and a half. In 1919, Bulgakov again enlisted in the army (this time Mikhail treated white soldiers and officers), and the couple went to Vladikavkaz. In the winter of 1920, Mikhail fell ill with a severe form of typhus, and Tasya again faced severe trials. Because of her sick husband, Tanya was unable to leave the city with the whites; she had to run through the looted streets in search of a doctor, and sell the remains of her jewelry to feed the convalescent. It was then that Tasya decided to sell even wedding rings, hers and Mikhail’s, and she subsequently considered this act to be the reason for the breakup of their family. Test of Glory

For the sake of Lyubov Belozerskaya, Bulgakov destroyed his marriage with Tatyana Lappa In the fall of 1921, the couple moved to Moscow. A severe struggle for survival began. Bulgakov wrote “The White Guard” at night, Tatyana sat nearby, regularly handing her husband basins of hot water to warm his frozen hands. The efforts were not in vain - after a few years, Bulgakov the writer became fashionable. But family life gave a crack. Tatyana was not too interested in her husband’s literary research and, as a writer’s wife, seemed too inconspicuous. Although Bulgakov assured Tatyana that he would never leave her, he warned: “If you meet me on the street with a lady, I will pretend that I don’t know you.” At that time, Bulgakov actively flirted with fans. But Bulgakov never kept his promise to never leave Tatyana. 11 years after the wedding, he offered her a divorce. The role of the homewrecker was played by Lyubov Evgenievna Belozerskaya, a 29-year-old lady with a rich biography, who recently arrived from abroad. She had just separated from one husband and was planning to marry another, but it didn’t work out. So the affair with Bulgakov came in very handy. And Bulgakov liked her sophistication, love of literature, sharp tongue and secular gloss. At first, Mikhail offered Tatyana the three of them to live in their apartment (the third, of course, was supposed to be Belozerskaya), but, having met a stubborn refusal, he packed his things and left.

The writer's last love is his third wife Elena Shilovskaya Lyubov Belozerskaya became Bulgakov's second wife, but he tried not to forget Tatyana - sometimes he helped her with food and visited her. One day he brought as a gift a magazine in which “The White Guard” was printed with a dedication to Lyuba. He explained this: “She asked me. I can’t refuse a stranger, but I can refuse my own.” The explanation seemed flattering, but Tasya was offended and threw the magazine on the floor. They never saw each other again. Subsequently, Tatyana Lappa married a second time, lived to be 90 years old and died in Tuapse. Bulgakov divorced Belozerskaya, his third wife was Elena Shilovskaya (in Bulgakov’s marriage), with whom he lived until his death. Alexandra TYRLOVA Photo from the book “Mikhail Bulgakov. Diary. Letters. 1914–1940"

“The use of opium inflamed his thoughts even more,
and if there was ever a lover to the last degree of madness,
swiftly, terribly, destructively, rebelliously, then he was the unfortunate one.
Of all the dreams, one was the most joyful for him: he imagined
his workshop, he was so cheerful, he sat with such pleasure with the palette
in your hands! And she's right there. She was already his wife. She sat next to him
leaning her lovely elbow on the back of his chair,
and looked at his work. In her eyes, languid, tired, it was written
the burden of bliss; everything in his room breathed heaven; it was so light, so
removed. Creator! She bent her lovely face to his chest
head... Better sleep he has never seen before.”
Gogol, Nevsky Prospekt.

From the biography:

Since 1917, he began to use morphine, first to alleviate allergic reactions to the anti-diphtheria drug, which he took because he was afraid of diphtheria after an operation. Then the morphine intake became regular. In December 1917, he came to Moscow for the first time, staying with his uncle, the famous Moscow gynecologist N. M. Pokrovsky, who became the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky from the story “ Heart of a Dog».
In the spring of 1918, M. Bulgakov returned to Kyiv, where he began private practice as a venereologist. At this time, M. Bulgakov stopped using morphine and never returns to him again. ...
In 1939... doctors diagnosed him with hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Bulgakov continued use morphine, prescribed to him in 1924, to relieve pain symptoms.

1918?
1924?
1939?

In fact, it is believed that the first time Bulgakov tried drugs in general was in 1913, while he was still studying at the Kiev Medical University.
The first try was cocaine.

There are several versions of the memoirs of T. N. Lapp, which were recorded in different years. There are also several records about Bulgakov’s illness with morphinism. Here is one of them:

“They brought a child with diphtheria, and Mikhail began to perform a tracheotomy... and then Mikhail began to suck out the film from the throat and said: “You know, it seems to me that the film got into the mouth. You need to get vaccinated." I warned him: “Look, your lips will be swollen, your face will be swollen, there will be terrible itching in your arms and legs.” But he doesn’t care to me: “I’ll do it.” And after a while it began: the face swells, the body is covered with a rash, the itching is insane... And then terrible pains in the legs. I experienced this twice. And he, of course, could not stand it . Now: “Call Stepanida”... She comes. He: “Now, please bring me a syringe and morphine.” She brought morphine and injected it into him. He immediately calmed down and fell asleep. And he really liked it. After a while, as his condition was not good, he called the paramedic again. .. That’s how it started...”(Parshin L. Op. op.).

This is how T. N. Lappa remembered these tragic days:

“I didn’t know what to do, I felt that this would not end well. But he regularly demanded morphine. I cried, asked him to stop, but he did not pay attention to it. At the cost of incredible efforts, I forced him to leave for Kyiv, otherwise , I said, I will have to commit suicide. This affected him, and we went to Kyiv ... "

It was, of course, impossible to hide from my mother and other close relatives. Unfortunately, T.N. Lappa presented this period in Bulgakov’s life both vaguely and even ambiguously (the influence of the interviewers, of course, cannot be ruled out). Here is her first memory as recorded by A.P. Konchakovsky:

“And then I turned to Ivan Pavlovich Voskresensky (the second husband of Bulgakov’s mother Varvara Mikhailovna, a doctor) for help. He advised giving Mikhail distilled water. So I did. I’m sure that Mikhail understood what was going on, but he didn’t show it and accepted the “game.” Gradually he moved away from this terrible habit. And since then he not only never took morphine again, but also never talked about it.”

Her later memories, recorded by L.K. Parshin, turned out to be more extensive:

“Varvara Mikhailovna immediately noticed: “What is this Mikhail?” I told her that he was sick and that’s why we came. Ivan Pavlovich himself noticed and asked one day: “What is this?” - “Well,” I say, “that’s how it happened.” - “We must, of course, act.” At first, I also kept going to pharmacies, to one, to another, once I tried to bring distilled water instead of morphine, so he threw this syringe at me... I stole the Browning from him when he was sleeping, gave it to Kolka and Vanka... And then I said: “You know what, I won’t go to the pharmacy anymore.” They wrote down your address...” I lied to him, of course. And he was terribly afraid that they would come and take away his seal. I was terribly afraid of this. He wouldn't be able to practice then. He says: “Then bring me opium.” They sold it at the pharmacy without a prescription... He got the whole bottle at once... And then he suffered a lot with his stomach. And so gradually he realized that he could no longer use any drugs... He knew that it was incurable. That’s how it gradually, gradually passed...”

Well, and, of course, “Morphine” (or a film based on the story, if anyone has forgotten the letters.)
Or maybe, according to the story, there are different statements.
The most talented is the “story-story”.
I don’t really have any idea what this is.

By the way, the hero of this story decided to fight drug addiction less than a month after its onset.
Which in itself is implausible.
And at first he does it in the following way: he tries to replace morphine with cocaine. This is exactly how in 1883 Sigmund Freud began to “treat” his friend and colleague Ernst Fleischl von Marxow for morphinism, which led the latter to double addiction and a tragic outcome that soon followed. Those. Already in the second half of the eighties of the 19th century, when the first cocaine epidemic began, it became clear that cocaine was even more dangerous than morphine, and the most terrible results of cocaine were observed in morphine addicts. However, Dr. Polyakov repeats Freud's mistake. The consequences were immediate. Between April 9 and 13, an entry about cocaine appears for the first time:

“Devil in a bottle. Cocaine is the devil in a bottle!
Its action is as follows:
When injecting one syringe of a 2% solution, a state of calm sets in almost instantly, immediately turning into delight and bliss. And this only lasts one, two minutes. And then everything disappears without a trace, as if it never happened. Pain, horror, darkness sets in.”

“I, the unfortunate Doctor Polyakov, who fell ill with morphine addiction in February of this year, warn everyone who will suffer the same fate as me not to try to replace morphine with cocaine. Cocaine is the worst and most insidious poison."

Let me remind you: it is believed that Bulgakov tried cocaine for the first time in 1913, while still studying at the Kiev Medical University.
And about the last moments - a phrase from Bulgakov’s letter to Elena Sergeevna dated June 22, 1939 (according to publication in “The Cup of Life”): “Neither strychnine nor arsenic is needed...”

Strychnine and arsenic are used to alleviate the suffering of drug addicts during withdrawal (drugs based on them relieve muscle cramps).
One can compare the fact of feeling extremely acute muscle pain before Bulgakov’s death with the memories of S.A. Ermolinsky, who then carried prescriptions written out by Bulgakov himself to the pharmacy: “The pharmacist just shook his head, but still dispensed the potion.”

Well, and to complete the range - “On the benefits of alcoholism.”
If you believe L.S. Karum, Mikhail Afanasyevich in 1919, having moved away from morphine, became addicted to alcohol for some time.

Hello, Joseph Vissarionovich. - We received your letter. Read with friends. You will have a favorable response to it... Or maybe it’s true - you are asking to go abroad? What, are you really tired of us?

The author of The Master and Margarita is one of the most mysterious figures in our cultural history. Today Anews wants to understand in more detail the fate of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov. Did mysticism have a place in his life? How did the writer struggle with drug addiction? And what role did Joseph Stalin play in his fate?

Drug addiction and do-it-yourself abortion

One of the main “scandalous” aspects of Bulgakov’s biography is his passion for drugs. Indeed, the writer had this bad habit, and acquired it quite early - in 1913, while studying to become a doctor, he tried cocaine.

But the use of morphine really seriously affected Bulgakov’s health. A doctor by profession, he came to practice in the village of Nikolskoye, Smolensk province, and one day in the summer of 1917 he admitted a baby with diphtheria. Trying to save the child, Bulgakov cut his throat and sucked out diphtheria films through a tube. And then, to be on the safe side, he injected himself with the diphtheria vaccine. The effect of the vaccine caused itching and severe pain - to relieve them, the young doctor began using morphine injections.

I managed to get rid of the pain, but the price I paid for it was addiction. It is also believed that the writer had a hard time living in the wilderness and took drugs out of boredom. Bulgakov did not believe in addiction, arguing that a doctor cannot become a drug addict thanks to his knowledge.

A few months later, the writer began to experience withdrawal symptoms and attacks of insanity, during which he chased his wife with a revolver, demanding to bring a dose.

Because of this, Bulgakov began trying to get rid of his addiction by smoking opium cigarettes and reducing doses. His wife Tatyana Lappa also helped him, secretly diluting morphine with distilled water, gradually increasing its ratio to the drug.

Her husband's problems doomed Tatiana to truly terrible trials. Writer Yuri Vorobyovsky, author of the book “The Unknown Bulgakov,” said:

“Tatyana Nikolaevna, Bulgakov’s first wife, recalled how she told her husband about her pregnancy. He replied: “I will perform the operation on Thursday. I’m a doctor and I know what kind of children morphine addicts have.” True, he had never had to perform such operations before. Before putting on his gloves, he leafed through a medical reference book for a long time. The operation took a long time. The wife realized that something had gone wrong. “I’ll never have children now,” she thought stupidly.”

Tatyana, who had her first abortion back in 1913, really had no more children. Just as, however, Bulgakov did not have them either, who broke up with his faithful companion, who lived with him in the legendary “bad apartment,” in 1924. Then the writer became interested in the stylish and relaxed socialite Lyubov Belozerskaya, who at first even suggested that the three of them live together, to which Lappa responded with an indignant refusal. Belozerskaya married the writer, but after 6 years a divorce followed - it is believed that the bright woman did not pay too much attention to the comfort of her husband.

For a long time it was believed that by the early 20s the writer managed to overcome his addiction to drugs, but in 2015 a group of scientists from Israel and Italy analyzed 127 randomly selected pages of the original manuscript of the novel “The Master and Margarita”. They found significant traces of morphine on the old paper, ranging from 2 to 100 nanograms per square centimeter.

On the page with the largest number morphine there is a narrative plan, which the author has reworked more than once. This find suggested that in recent years life, the writer returned to his deadly addiction.

Gravestone, fire and Gogol's ghost

In popular memory, the figure of Bulgakov is traditionally shrouded in a mystical flair. One of the legends is connected precisely with the writer’s drug addiction and includes another outstanding writer - Nikolai Gogol.

In his diary, Bulgakov wrote how, suffering from another withdrawal, he suddenly saw someone entering the room "a short, pointed-nosed man with small, crazy eyes"- he bent over the bed of the sufferer and angrily threatened him with his finger.

It is believed that the described alien was Gogol, and that after his visit, drug addiction began to rapidly fade away.

Naturally, legends connect Bulgakov with the characters of “The Master and Margarita” - and in particular with the cat Behemoth.

According to one of the stories, Behemoth had a real prototype - only not a cat, but a dog with the same nickname. He was so smart that one day New Year after the chimes, he barked 12 times, although no one taught him this.

True, reliable evidence names cats as the prototypes of the magical animal - the Bulgakov family's pet kitten Flushka and Murr from Ernst Hoffmann's satirical novel "The Worldly Views of the Cat Murr."

Another story is related to the famous phrase of Hippopotamus: “I’m not being naughty, I’m not hurting anyone, I’m fixing the primus stove.”. It is believed that one day, when Bulgakov was once again editing an episode with a quote, a fire suddenly started in the apartment on the floor above. Subsequently, when trying to find the source of the fire, it turned out that it was the primus stove that caught fire in the kitchen of the writer’s neighbors.

The main “posthumous” story about Bulgakov is also associated with Gogol - this time it is genuine. The writer’s third wife, Elena, wrote in a message to his brother Nikolai:

“I couldn’t find what I wanted to see on Misha’s grave(deceased Bulgakov) - worthy of him. And then one day, when I, as usual, went into the workshop at the Novodevichy cemetery, I saw some granite block deeply hidden in a hole.

The director of the workshop, in response to my question, explained that this was Golgotha from Gogol’s grave, taken from Gogol’s grave when a new monument was erected to him. At my request, with the help of an excavator, they lifted this block, drove it to Misha’s grave and set it up. You yourself understand how this fits Misha’s grave - Golgotha from the grave of his beloved writer Gogol.”

Bulgakov and Stalin

Relations with the “Father of Nations” became special part biography of Bulgakov.

Experts characterize them as very ambiguous. On the one hand, Stalin several times spoke very coldly about the works of Bulgakov, who never particularly hid his negative attitude towards the revolution and the Soviet system. The head of the USSR called the play “Running” “a manifestation of an attempt to arouse pity, if not sympathy, for certain layers of anti-Soviet emigrants”, desire “to justify or half-justify the White Guard affair”. About the play “Days of the Turbins,” based on the novel “The White Guard,” Stalin said: “An anti-Soviet phenomenon,” but added: “Why are Bulgakov’s plays staged so often? Therefore, it must be that there are not enough plays of our own suitable for production. Without fish, even “Days of the Turbins” is a fish.

If even people like the Turbins are forced to lay down their arms and submit to the will of the people, recognizing their cause as completely lost, it means that the Bolsheviks are invincible, nothing can be done with them, the Bolsheviks. “Days of the Turbins” is a demonstration of the all-crushing power of Bolshevism. Of course, the author is in no way “to blame” for this demonstration. But what do we care about that?

And here another facet of Stalin’s attitude emerged. On March 28, Bulgakov wrote a letter to the government, saying that he did not have the opportunity to publish and collaborate with the theater in the USSR. “I ask you to take into account that the inability to write for me is tantamount to being buried alive.”“, the writer concluded and asked permission to travel abroad.

Already on April 18, the phone rang in his apartment. In 1956, Elena Bulgakova wrote in her diary in memory of her husband’s story at that time:

“He went to bed after dinner, as always, but then the phone rang, and Lyuba called him over, saying that they were asking from the Central Committee. Mikhail Afanasyevich did not believe it, decided that it was a joke (at that time this was done), and, disheveled and irritated, he picked up the phone and heard:

- Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov?

- Yes, yes.

- Now Comrade Stalin will talk to you.

- What? Stalin? Stalin?

- Yes, Stalin is talking to you. Hello, Comrade Bulgakov (or Mikhail Afanasyevich - I don’t remember exactly).

- Hello, Joseph Vissarionovich.

- We received your letter. Read with friends. You will have a favorable response to it... Or maybe it’s true - you are asking to go abroad? What, are you really tired of us?

Mikhail Afanasyevich said that he did not expect such a question (and he did not expect a call at all) - that he was confused and did not immediately answer:

- I've been thinking a lot lately about whether a Russian writer can live outside his homeland. And it seems to me that he cannot.

- You're right. I think so too. Where do you want to work? At the Art Theater?

- Yes, I wanted to. But I spoke about it and they refused.

- And you apply there. It seems to me that they will agree. We would like to meet and talk with you.

- Yes, yes! Joseph Vissarionovich, I really need to talk to you.

- Yes, we need to find time and definitely meet. Now I wish you all the best.”

Bulgakov got a job at the Moscow Art Theater, the country's main drama theater, and subsequently did not experience the threat of poverty. Mass repression the second half of the 30s also bypassed the writer.

However, Bulgakov never received full recognition. Some of his plays were still banned from production, a personal meeting with Stalin did not take place, and he was never allowed to travel abroad.

The writer made his last attempt to find a dialogue with the authorities and society in 1939, writing the play “Batum”, dedicated to the youth of Stalin - it was believed that the need for such a production would arise on the 60th anniversary of the head of the USSR. Along the way, Bulgakov most likely cherished the hope that the success of the play would help the publication of the main work of his life, the novel “The Master and Margarita.”

Preliminary demonstrations of the play, including in front of party officials, went very well. Elena Bulgakova wrote to her mother:

“Mommy, dear, I’ve been meaning to write to you for a long time, but I was crazy busy. Misha finished and submitted the play to the Moscow Art Theater... He was tired as hell, the work was intense, he had to submit it on time. But the fatigue was good - the work was terribly interesting. According to general reviews, this is a great success. There have been several readings - two official and others - at our apartment, and always a great success."

Bulgakov took what happened extremely hard. He told his wife: “I feel bad, Lyusenka. He(Stalin) I signed my death warrant."

“Misha, as much as I can, I’m editing the novel, I’m rewriting it”

According to the recollections of relatives, from that moment the writer’s health began to deteriorate sharply, and his vision began to disappear. Doctors diagnosed hypertensive nephrosclerosis - kidney disease.

“And suddenly Kreshkov told me(common-law husband) the newspaper shows: Bulgakov died. Arrived(to Moscow), came to Lela(to the writer's sister). She told me everything, and the fact that he called me before his death... Of course, I would have come. I was terribly worried then. I went to the grave.”

The novel “The Master and Margarita” lay on the shelf for more than a quarter of a century and was first published in the November 1966 issue of “Moscow” magazine.

Speaking about Mikhail Bulgakov, such unusual works as “The Master and Margarita” and “Heart of a Dog” immediately come to mind. Perhaps someone will remember him " White Guard”, and someone even read the story “Morphine”.

This is a talented writer who, due to his second profession (doctor), became acquainted with morphine and became an eyewitness to how the drug destroys a person, his body and soul.

Why did Bulgakov start taking morphine?

Until the 30s of the last century, morphine was actively used in medicine, and according to statistics, 40% of doctors and even their wives (10%) were addicted. At the same time, a large percentage of patients also became morphine addicts (addicted). Morphine was freely sold in pharmacies as an anesthetic and sleeping pill. Heroin was also sold there - a remedy against pulmonary diseases and depression. Bulgakov saw the end of this period.

In 1916, young Mikhail was assigned to work in a hospital in the distant village of Nikolskoye. He first tried morphine by accident - he was forced by necessity.

While treating a sick child, it seemed to him that the virus was transmitted to him during one of the procedures. The doctor asked to give him an injection of serum against this virus, after which he began to experience severe itching, unbearable pain, his face was swollen and his body was covered with a rash. Then he received an injection of morphine, after which his condition improved and he fell asleep. And when he woke up, he asked for more morphine - just in case.

How did the addiction arise?

The habit arises quickly - 2-3 times are enough. At first, the desire to “feel like in heaven” pushes you to use it. Drug addicts (and even patients receiving therapeutic doses of the drug) see pleasant dreams and feel lightness, fantasies come to life, and perceptions become sharper.

Gradually, the dose has to be increased, and now it is no longer the desire to be in heaven that guides the person, but the horror of severe suffering without the drug. And all because even a slight delay in taking the dose causes unbearable pain throughout the body, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, breathing problems and nightmare visions.

Addiction did not spare Mikhail either. His wife gave him injections. And she described his state as “very calm.” He could work and write.

How morphine influenced the life and work of Bulgakov

Reading the lines of the novel “Morphine,” it becomes obvious that these are not just the observer’s guesses or the writer’s imagination, he conveys the truth about this drug so subtly and accurately.

The suffering associated with drug use formed the basis of the story “Morphine.” And the writer also makes the hero of the novel “The Master and Margarita” Ivan Bezdomny a morphine addict, and describes his visions under the influence of the drug.

It took the writer about three years to stop using. His wife, stepfather helped, as well as a craving for creativity and an awareness of how addiction was ruining his life.

Series of stories “Notes of a Young Doctor”

It's seven or eight stories. Researchers disagree on whether the story "Morphine" is part of this series. These works are based on real events that happened to the author. The plot has been changed, but they basically reflect what actually happened.

In his stories, Bulgakov wrote about successful operations, colorfully and vividly described the life and customs of the inhabitants of the village where he lived and worked.

In the story “Morphine,” he describes how a young doctor became addicted to the drug, what he experienced, what he felt, and how he tried to escape from this trap. He vividly and truthfully describes the tragedy that happened to a talented person. Yes, morphine can break anyone, even the strongest of us.

About the future fate of the writer

After living in the village, Bulgakov moved to the capital and was engaged in writing and worked as a director. His last novel was The Master and Margarita. Before his death, he suffered from kidney disease and was forced to take his prescribed morphine again to relieve the pain.

In conclusion, we can say the following. On the one hand, thanks to the drug, the world received an unusual story. On the other hand, suffering and grief are not worth writing. It's a myth that drugs promote creativity. Without them, a person is much stronger and more capable.

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