Heart of a Dog

Mikhail Bulgakov · 1891–1940 · Ukraine / Russia

Originally Sobachye Serdtse (Russian)

Why it matters

A professor transplants human glands into a stray dog and produces a perfect Soviet citizen: satire so lethal it stayed banned for sixty years. The sharpest short indictment of the New Man ever written.

At a glance

A short, brisk satire whose bite lies in political allusion rather than difficult prose.