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The year is 1919 and the Civil War has spread to Kiev, Bulgakov’s home town. Ukraine is under the control of the iron-fisted nationalist, Petliura,. He’s brutally securing Kiev in preparation for the invasion of the Reds (Bolsheviks) looming on the horizon.

Central to the novel is the Turbin family who live in a cozy apartment in town. (The Turbins are loosely based on Bulgakov and his family). The furnishings and atmosphere of the dwelling have a 19th century feel as if they were still living under the Tsar, which is what they’d prefer. They’re trying to shut out the upheaval outside by closing “the cream colored curtains� and pretending they are still in the past.

But the death of the Turbins� mother is a harsh reminder of reality. The funeral has an apocalyptic feel and the priest is unable to comfort the eldest, Alexei.

The White Guard is a novel without a hero. One curious townfolk is Shpolyansky, an eccentric man who keeps a ballerina as a mistress. He despises Petliura, so is ready to back the Bolsheviks when they invade. Rusakov, a poet who suffers with venereal disease, is convinced that Shpolyansky is the Antichrist.

Alexei is caught out on the street during a violent clash. He is wounded, but does not die. While recovering, he has many apocalyptic dreams. They’re a message that Alexei and his family have been wrong about many things. They have clung to the myths of Tsarist Russia. But the world has changed. It will not go back to the old ways.

One cynic tells Alexei’s sister, Elena, “go ahead and doze by the reading lamp while the storm outside howls—and wait until they come for you.�

The book is full of literary allusions including Dostoevsky’s The Possessed that Elena is reading but fails to connect to what is happening in Kiev.

Bulgakov modeled his book after War & Peace, but it is much more narrowly construed. The action takes place over 47 days and the great Russian army that was victorious in Tolstoy has long since been crushed by 1919.

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This just in, many in the Ukraine disdain Bulgakov, especially as depicted in The White Guard. Some are calling for his museum in Kyiv to be closed.

"Bulgakov “hated� the idea of Ukrainian statehood and “glorified� the Russian tsar and monarchy. He also “smeared� Ukrainian nationalists including Symon Petliura, whose troops entered Kyiv in 1918"



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