Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov was born in Kiev in 1891, the son of a Russian lecturer in theology, and the grandson of priests on both sides, Medicine, religion, and education were the dominant careers in his family. Despite an early interest in literature and the theater, Bulgakov chose to become a doctor. In 1914, as a medical student, he volunteered with the Red Cross during World War 1. After graduating from the University of Kiev and Ukrainian Nationalist Army. These experiences during the chaos of the Civil War in Kiev and the Caucasus had a profound effect on the writer and his work.
