Bulgakov: A Dog's Heart

By: Mikhail Bulgakov

Narrated by: Roy McMillan

When a respected surgeon decides to transplant human body parts into a stray dog, he creates a monster - drunken, profligate, aggressive and selfish. It seems the worst aspects of the donor have been transplanted as well. As his previously well-regulated home descends into riotous chaos, the doctor realises he will have to try to reverse the operation; but the dog isn't so keen....

Wild, uproarious and deliriously comic, Bulgakov's short novel is at once a comment on the problems of 1920s Russia and a lasting satire on human nature.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2010 Naxos Audiobooks

Science fiction/fantasy/ marked political themes

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes Excellent story and rendition of same

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bulgakov: A Dog's Heart?

The transformation of the dog Furball into a man

Any additional comments?

German literature gave us Kafka's The Metamorphosis, English lit gave us Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Russian literature gave us this superb, but lesser known tale. The plot lines all have transformation in them, man turns into bug, man discovers and is overtaken by his evil side, grateful, nice dog turns into mean,ungrateful man. The deeper themes are noteworthy as well, respectfully family relations and isolation; good vs evil; and marked political themes.
All these stories are short and deserve our attention. Longer novels of the genre include Frankenstein , man-vs nature and society isolating man themes; Dracula with its sexual subtext; and Island of Dr. Moreau with its political and religious themes.

Good stuff!

Yes, Audible, I did rather enjoy this book. The voice work is wonderful! Such dynamic range of vocal work. Only the doctors were hard to establish.

I love dogs so that primarily why I purchased this. While it is about a dog, it is really an interesting listen for other aspects. Not something I'd recommend to everyone but definitely something I'm glad I listened to.

Great whacky book

I read this book first and it was good but listening to it was way better!

Fantastic reading of a very funny book

I really enjoyed this a lot. The book is very funny, and the narrator makes it especially so. It's Moscow in the 1920s, the communist dictatorship is still ramping up, but it's not yet Stalin's time and people are adjusting to the new regime. There is fun satire of these early days of Soviet communism, although the most biting satire is of the human "heart." If I knew how to reach the narrator, I'd write to him to thank him for such an enjoyable performance.

Enloyable read

This is am enjoyable commentary on the human heart, condition and communism wrapped in a creative and interesting story. The performance is fabulous.