Shilovskaya Elena Sergeevna (1893 – 1970).
Before meeting with Bulgakov, Elena Sergeevna was a respectable loving wife, mother of two children. Therefore, breaking up a family and taking possession of such a woman required enormous efforts from Bulgakov. Being a believer, he perfectly understood that he was violating the divine commandment “do not covet your neighbor’s wife”, but he also understood that this particular woman was vital for him to realize his creative plans.
It was a difficult choice, he chose Elena, and he was not mistaken. She managed not only to create for him a comfortable home life filled with warmth and coziness, but also took an active part in his writing work. Elena Sergeevna completely immersed herself in his life. She dissolved into him, became his continuation, transferring his thoughts to paper. She printed and edited his works, negotiated with the right people, dealt with correspondence, and after six months of living together, Bulgakov gives her a power of attorney to conclude contracts with publishers and theaters, as well as to receive royalties. After the death of the writer in 1940, it was her who inherited all the rights to his works, as well as to all property. And in the future, she showed an extraordinary will and determination, punching through the highest authorities for permission to publish Bulgakov’s works.