This fundamental publication was prepared by specialists of the Scientific Bibliography Department of the Russian State Art Library (RSAL). Published in 2017, the first tome of this multivolume bibliographic reference book has already gained recognition in the international scientific community. The second volume, reflecting the array of publications from 1941 to 1985 about Mikhail Bulgakov, was highly awaited by literary and theatre researchers, bibliographers, and historians of the Russian diaspora.

Opening the presentation, Maria Vasilyeva, Scientific Secretary of the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad, highlighted the importance of this bibliographic project, which not only reflects the course of the historical and literary process, but also ensures continuity in the practice of research.

In presenting the publication, the head of the project, Director of the Russian State Art Library Ada Kolganova, spoke about the history of work on the Bulgakov bibliography and the main stages of development of this fundamental project.

The speech of Maria Mishurovskaya, editor of the reference book and RSAL specialist, was devoted to specific reflections of Mikhail Bulgakov’s work in Russian diaspora periodicals in 1941—1985. Speaking about the goals of Bulgakov’s bibliography, the editor emphasised the importance of the bibliographic recording of the particularities of Bulgakov texts in the Russian emigration environment.

Literary and theatre researchers attending the event noted the research potential of the handbook. Violetta. Gudkova, DSc Art History, shared her experience with the participants of the presentation about working with literature dedicated to Mikhail Bulgakov. Lesley Milne, Emeritus Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Nottingham, greatly appreciated the work of the Russian bibliographers and recalled the difficulties that accompanied the publication of archival materials abroad concerning the biography of the author of The Master and Margarita and the fate of his works. Theatre historian Anatoly Smelyansky, DSc Art History, spoke about the specifics of studying Bulgakov’s dramatic heritage during the Soviet period.

Guests from The Mikhail Bulgakov Literary Memorial Museum, Kyiv, Tatiana Rogozovskaya and Svetlana Pugach, related an interesting story about the Japanese branch of the Bulgakov family tree, based on unique materials stored in the collections of the Kyiv Museum and the State Archives of the City of Kyiv.

In conjunction with the presentation, the exhibition ‘Russian Emigration Meets the Master’ opened. The exposition dedicated to the 1967 publication of the novel The Master and Margarita includes unique books, periodicals, and archival documents from the collection of the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad.