In the last decade of his artistic career, Mikhail Bulgakov experienced a veritable “Molièrean” season. During this period, he wrote his first theatrical work dedicated to Molière, "The Cabal of Hypocretes" (1929), worked on the translation and adaptation of "The Bourgeois Gentleman" (1932), completed the biography "The Life of Monsieur de Molière" (1933), and finally turned to translating "The Miser". Beyond his declared admiration for a master of Seventeenth century theatre, Bulgakov’s homage to Molière can be interpreted as an attempt at self-recognition of both his role as a writer and the creative principles underpinning his work — within the censorial climate of his time. This article focuses on Bulgakov’s two works, "The Cabal of Hypocrites" and "The Life of Monsieur de Molière", reconstructing their history and examining Bulgakov’s original engagement with documentary sources.
“Я читаю, перечитываю и люблю Мольера с детских лет”. Bulgakov and Molière, a tribute as self-recognition?
Traini Cheti
2025
Abstract
In the last decade of his artistic career, Mikhail Bulgakov experienced a veritable “Molièrean” season. During this period, he wrote his first theatrical work dedicated to Molière, "The Cabal of Hypocretes" (1929), worked on the translation and adaptation of "The Bourgeois Gentleman" (1932), completed the biography "The Life of Monsieur de Molière" (1933), and finally turned to translating "The Miser". Beyond his declared admiration for a master of Seventeenth century theatre, Bulgakov’s homage to Molière can be interpreted as an attempt at self-recognition of both his role as a writer and the creative principles underpinning his work — within the censorial climate of his time. This article focuses on Bulgakov’s two works, "The Cabal of Hypocrites" and "The Life of Monsieur de Molière", reconstructing their history and examining Bulgakov’s original engagement with documentary sources.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
