Blending biography with fiction, this portrait of the famed French playwright is written by a kindred spirit: the author of The Master and Margarita. Mikhail Bulgakov and Jean-Baptiste Poquelinmore commonly known as Molierehad much in common. The twentieth-century Russian satirist and dramatist and the seventeenth-century French playwright known for Tartuffe and The Misanthrope shared a love for finding material in the shortcomings and follies of the human condition. They both created their art under unpredictable and often repressive regimesBulgakov under the Bolsheviks and Moliere under King Louis XIVand often saw their work censored or banned. Both were also favored by influential men: King Louis was Moliere's patron, and Stalin, despite his oppressive rule, was a fan of Bulgakov's work. Perhaps it is not surprising that Bulgakov penned such a vibrant, affectionate biography of one of the greatest masters of comedy in the Western canon. Written between 1932 and 1933 and eventually published posthumously in 1963, Bulgakov's portrait of the famed French playwright and actor goes beyond the usual boundaries of biographythe two men at times seem to be communicating with each other across the centuries through Bulgakov's lively prose and inspired interpretations of the life of a literary kindred spirit. Sliding delightfully between fiction and meticulous fact,The Life of Monsieur de Moliereis not to be missed. ';In its playfulness and hybridity, this book looks forward to contemporary faction that fuses fiction and biography.' John Dugdale, The Guardian Book Review