Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪdʑ‿bʊlˈɡakəf]; born 15 May 1891 – died 10 March 1940) was a distinguished Russian, later Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active during the tumultuous first half of the 20th century. He is universally celebrated for his novel The Master and Margarita, published posthumously, which is regarded as one of the masterpieces of the 20th century literature.

He is also renowned for his novel The White Guard; his plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also called The Run), and The Days of the Turbins; and other works crafted in the 1920s and 1930s. Bulgakov's writings often delve into the horrors of the Russian Civil War and the destiny of Russian intellectuals and Tsarist Army officers amidst revolution and civil war.

Some of his works, including Flight, all his works between the years 1922 and 1926, and others, were banned by the Soviet government, and personally by Joseph Stalin, as they were perceived to "glorify emigration and White generals". Conversely, Stalin had a profound admiration for The Days of the Turbins (also known as The Turbin Brothers) and is reported to have seen it at least 15 times.