Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (1891–1940) is one of the rarest Russian writers, whose creative destiny is directly related to the circumstances of his life. It has long been noticed that there are mysterious omissions in Bulgakov’s biography. Did Stalin read The Master and Margarita? Have they met? Why did the repressions pass him by? “Forgotten” or did the “safe conduct” issued in the form of a telephone call in April 1930 continue to be in effect? As for attempts to find character prototypes, there is even more confusion...