Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, (15 May [O.S. 3 May] 1891 – 10 March 1940) was a Russian, later Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel *The Master and Margarita*, published posthumously, which has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.