The Image of the Artist and the Conflict “the Artist and Power” In M.A. Bulgakov's Play “The Cabal of the Saints”

This article examines the image of the artist and the conflict “artist and power” in the work of M.A. Bulgakov “The Cabal of the Saints”, as well as in the plays “Alexander Pushkin” and “Crimson Island”. This study talks about the confrontation between the artist and the government as a traditional conflict for Russian literature on the example of the works of G.R. Derzhavin, A.S. Pushkin, M.Y. Lermontov and N.A. Nekrasov. The author reveals the creative motivation of the writer, which caused M.A. Bulgakov's appeal to the above-mentioned conflict, in connection with the historical realities and facts of the author's life. Based on a comparative analysis of the works of the authors of the XVIII and XIX centuries, as well as the plays of M.A. Bulgakov, the authors conclude that, as a rule, the image of the artist in the studied plays is associated with the conflict “artist and power” and is revealed through it. Writers addressed the conflict “artist and power” long before M.A. Bulgakov. This confrontation is most often found in works from the time of Romanticism, in which the poet is confronted with a soulless crowd or greedy powerful. In turn, feeling the pressure of censorship bodies that impede the freedom of creative expression, M.A. Bulgakov turns to the above-mentioned conflict, which is vital for him, and rethinks it. Based on this statement, the authors of the article analyzed and compared the works “Crimson Island”, “Alexander Pushkin” and “Cabal of saints”, thereby identifying the features of the artist, manifested through the prism of the conflict “artist and power”. The scientific works of both recognized researchers in the field of literary studies and literary history, as well as young scientists, were used as a theoretical basis for this article.