White Guard

"White Guard" — the first novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is a book about standing firm when the world is collapsing, and about the strength of the human spirit in the face of trials.

The novel, in which the characters are coded representations of Bulgakov's family and friends — and himself — is based on the author's memories of the events of the Civil War that took place at the end of 1918. "I dare assure you, this will be a novel that will make the heavens hot," — he wrote and later called "White Guard" one of his most beloved works.

The home of the Turbin family — two brothers and a sister — with its tiled stove, samovar, and lamp with a lampshade seems to be the only safe place in a country engulfed by the Civil War. However, when the enemy enters the City, everyone faces a choice: to flee or to fight, even knowing that the odds are unequal?