Entertainment
Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog: A short summary
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This relatively short novella is considered one of the best literary works of the 20th century. Because of both the author’s creative skills and an incredibly intriguing plot. A super short summary: A surgeon transplants a human pituitary gland and testicles into a stray dog as an experiment. It turns out to be successful and the dog takes human form. However, he doesn’t behave like a man, but continues like a beast.
A renown surgeon professor named Philip Preobrazhensky lives in Moscow in a huge apartment. And, in it, he has a cabinet where he does experimental surgeries. He is already quite successful in rejuvenation procedures, but he wants to go further.
One day, he decides to transplant a human pituitary gland and testicles to a stray dog as an experiment. The surgery is more than successful, as the dog starts looking like a human being…
Vladimir Bortko/Lenfilm, 1988
It’s the mid-1920s, the Bolsheviks have recently seized the power and Soviet order is being implemented here and there. The professor is harassed for living in an apartment that’s too big for him, so the authorities make him share part of his apartment with several proletarians. The professor objects and can’t accept the new rules. He can’t imagine performing surgeries, eating dinner and sleeping in the same room.
Meanwhile, rumors about the successful surgery spread and people start to visit Preobrazhensky’s house to take a look at the dog turning into a human.
Vladimir Bortko/Lenfilm, 1988
Ironically, while the creator is against the Soviet new world order, his dog falls under their influence. The dog previously nicknamed Sharik files for documents and becomes Poligraph Sharikov.
Despite looking like a human, his behavior is far from human. More like a beast or, rather, a bastard. Sharikov harasses the professor’s maids, steals his money and, finally, writes a denunciation against the professor. And all this while shouting political slogans.
Preobrazhensky can’t take it anymore and performs a reverse surgery, removing the human organs from Sharikov. Slowly, he turns back into a dog.
What’s behind the novella?
This story has elements of sci-fi, political and social satire and medical humor. The author himself was a doctor, so his early creative writing was mostly devoted to medical issues (like ‘The Young Doctor’s Notebook’, which turned into a 2012 British TV show starring Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm).
Vladimir Bortko/Lenfilm, 1988
Professor Preobrazhenksy had a real life prototype in Bulgakov’s uncle, Moscow professor Nikolai Pokrovsky. He inspired Bulgakov to become a doctor, he had a lot of traits that his literary alter ago did and his real apartment looked exactly like the one described in the novella.
Besides from the intriguing plot with fantastical and sci-fi elements, very rare for to those times, ‘Heart of a Dog’ is a sharp satire on the Soviet political and social life order. It shows a huge the contradiction between the old intelligentsia and the new proletariat, which gained absolute power at once (sometimes with little education, but able to demagogue with political slogans they learned).
Vladimir Bortko/Lenfilm, 1988
Professor Preobrazhensky’s critical phrases about the Bolsheviks and their new rules became aphorisms, very often quoted by Russians to this day. Below are some of the most recognized:
- “God save you, don’t read Soviet newspapers before lunch.”
- “Why was the carpet removed from the front staircase? Did Karl Marx forbid keeping carpets on the stairs?”
- “If I, entering the toilet, start, pardon the expression, to urinate past the toilet and the same Zina and Darya Petrovna will do the same, devastation will begin in the lavatory. Consequently, the devastation is not in the closets, but in the heads.”
A turbulent story of the publication
‘Heart of a Dog’ was written in 1925, but not a single literary magazine or publishing house would touch it. “It’s a poignant pamphlet on modernity and could never to be printed,” the censorship indisputably reacted.
However, the manuscript of the novella did circulate via ‘samizdat’. People printed self-published copies and passed from hand to hand. As a result, in the 1960s, one of the copies (with many mistakes) reached the West and was published there.
Vladimir Bortko/Lenfilm, 1988
In the USSR, the work only saw the light during perestroika and era of glasnost. In 1987, it was published in the ‘Znamya’ magazine. And finally reaching a wide audience, it made a splash. People remembered how, reading it in one sitting, they were shocked at how great it was (and many said they actually were reading such Soviet satire for the first time).
Almost immediately, in 1988, the book was adapted to the screen and the resulting movie directed by Vladimir Bortko is still considered one of the greatest Soviet movies ever and one of the best adaptations of a literary work.
Check out it with English subtitles here.
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Salman Khan has never been one to hold back, and at a recent event in Dubai, he added his signature dose of humour to the oft-debated topic of nepotism in Bollywood. The superstar, fondly known as Sallubhai, was in town to launch his nephew Ayaan Agnihotri’s debut song, “Universal Laws”, and in true Salman style, he had the audience in splits with his witty remark.
As Dubai’s DJ Bliss – who hosted the event – praised the Khan family for their unwavering support for Ayaan, Salman quipped, “That’s what nepotism is!” His playful jab left everyone in the room in splits.
And as the crowd cheered, Salman officially launched the song, marking Ayaan’s much-anticipated entry into the music world.
A Star-Studded Affair
The event turned into a Bollywood reunion, with stars like Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, and other celebrities coming together to celebrate Ayaan’s big moment.
During his speech, Salman highlighted that Ayaan, the son of Atul Agnihotri and Alvira Khan Agnihotri (Salman’s sister), hails from a family of seasoned film producers. He also mentioned that Ayaan’s cousin, Alizeh Agnihotri, who recently made her Bollywood debut, shares the same film-driven lineage.
Ayaan and Salman’s Previous Collaboration
This isn’t the first time the uncle-nephew duo has joined forces. Salman and Ayaan previously worked together on the track, “You Are Mine”, where the young artist showcased his rap skills alongside the Bollywood megastar. The song, composed by Vishal Mishra, became a talking point among fans.
Salman & Sanjay Dutt Spotted in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, Salman is keeping busy with multiple projects. A recent video circulating on social media showed him and actor Sanjay Dutt filming on the streets of Saudi Arabia. The clip, shared by an X user, captured the two actors casually chatting with crew members.
The buzz is that Salman and Sanjay are working on a cameo appearance in the Bollywood remake of the 2021 Argentine film Seven Dogs. While details remain under wraps, fans are excited to see the duo share screen space again.
From family celebrations in Dubai to shooting in Saudi Arabia, Salman Khan is proving yet again that his star power knows no boundaries.
(Inputs from Hindustan Times, Zee News)
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