“THE WHITE GUARD” & “THE DAYS OF THE TURBINS”
“The White Guard “ by Mikhail Bulgakov was first published in 1925 and reissued as a book in 1966; the novel-based movie “The Days of the Turbins” (1976) was directed by Vladimir Basov
Set in Kyiv during the Civil War of 1918–1920, The White Guard follows the Turbin family - educated, loyal, and deeply tied to the old Russian order. The brothers are professional soldiers; their home becomes a refuge as rival armies and ideologies fight for control of the city.
The world around is collapsing, yet the Turbins’ private moments - conversations, meals, family bonds - feel heartbreakingly real. It’s a story about courage, confusion, and love in impossible times, about what it means to stay human when history gives you no good choices.
The 1976 film The Days of the Turbins, based on the novel, carries the same quiet intensity - people trying to find their footing as everything they believed in disappears.
Questions for discussion:
What can we take away or learn from The White Guard?
Why did Iosif Stalin like the stage version? And why did Stalin show such favor to Bulgakov?
Which character feels closest to you, whose emotions or perspective do you most connect with?
Which characters make you feel sympathy or affection, and which provoke irritation or dislike, and why?
Why is there only one major female character in the film?
Do you find Elena appealing or annoying? What exactly draws you to her, or puts you off, and why?
Alexei Turbin survives in the novel but dies in the play. Which version feels more fitting or true to the story?
Is there a true “hero” in the novel or the film? If so, who, and what makes them heroic?