Join us for a regular meeting of our reading group. This time we will be discussing Fatal Eggs, a wonderful satirical novella by Mikhail Bulgakov. The meeting will be hosted by the co-curator of Pushkin House Bookshop, Sasha Padziarei.

Fatal Eggs was written by Bulgakov in 1924, and satirises the Bolsheviks’ obsessive belief in science, a theme that also pervades his 1925 novella, Heart of a Dog. Set four years in the future, in 1928, it depicts a plague that wipes out Russia’s poultry, and narrates a story of an eccentric scientist who tries to fix the problem to a disastrous effect. This lesser-known work by Bulgakov reflects on the exploitation of science and the power of nature that feels very relevant today.

2021 saw the opening of Pushkin House’s very own physical bookshop in addition to our online store. While it is still being honed and developed, we are keen to highlight literature that inspires, encourages, moves and validates our readers. We also want to amplify the voices, writers and readers that historically didn’t get and, perhaps, still don’t get the visibility, power and appreciation they deserve. Most of all, we want to create a physical (and an online) place for connection where people can come and share their views.