bulgakov started writing the novel in 1928. he burnt the first manuscript of the novel in 1930, seeing no future as a writer in the soviet union. the work was restarted in 1931. the second draft was completed in 1936 by which point all the major plot lines of the final version were in place. the third draft was finished in 1937. bulgakov continued to polish the work, aided by his wife, but was forced to stop work on the fourth version four weeks before his death in 1940.