15 May 2020

On 15 May 2020, in honour of the birthday of Mikhail Bulgakov, born 129 years ago, the Bulgakov Society held its fourth meeting since the founding of the Society in Hong Kong. Due to the difficulties posed by the coronavirus, a meeting of members of the Society took place online. The remote format did not however stifle vibrant communication among Bulgakov’s art lovers from Hong Kong, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.

The theme of the meeting was Bulgakov’s “Fatal Eggs”, a highly topical novel in view of the global pandemic with which we are grappling. Julia Charlton gave an opening speech, following which, Professor Uther Charlton Stevens spoke about some interesting works of world literature that tell of large-scale pandemics, which can be viewed here. Guests then took part in a quiz, which turned out to be very exciting, and during the final portion of the meeting, participants took part in a discussion on the different types of reptiles (otherwise known as the main characters of “Fatal Eggs”, and in doing so, opened their minds to discovering not only works of literature from around the world, but fascinating details from the world of zoology. According to the results of the quiz and the riveting discussions on reptiles, the winners were determined. They will receive prizes from the Bulgakov Society in due course. The participants thanked the organisers for maintaining the traditional meeting of the Society despite the unprecedented social upheaval, and are looking forward to the next meeting, whether in person or online.