Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Bulgakov, born in Kiev to an Orthodox theology professor and a former teacher, certainly had an upbringing steeped in academic rigor, if not rabbinical law. He pursued medicine, graduated with honors, and even served as a doctor during World War I, which, honestly, sounds far too respectable for a future literary genius.

However, it was his post-medicine pivot to writing that truly set him apart. His masterpiece, The Master and Margarita, a darkly humorous and profoundly philosophical novel completed in secret and published posthumously, is a biting satire of Soviet society, a retelling of the Passion of Christ, and features a talking cat. It's safe to say he wasn't pulling his punches, or his whiskers.

Considering the Soviet regime's rather dim view of anything that wasn't socialist realism, Bulgakov's steadfast commitment to his unique, often surreal vision is nothing short of heroic. He faced censorship, official condemnation, and financial hardship, yet he continued to write. One could almost say he had chutzpah, if not for the distinct lack of kvetching about his heritage.