Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Master and Margarita was published in 1966-67, twenty-six years after Bulgakov's death on the 10th of March 1940. His widow Elena Bulgakova preserved the manuscript and oversaw its publication.
Soviet authorities, including Joseph Stalin personally, banned several of Bulgakov's works on the grounds that they "glorified emigration and White generals." His play Flight was banned after Glavrepertkom showed it to Stalin, who agreed with the committee's judgment. His prose remained unprinted from the late 1920s to 1961.
Stalin reportedly attended The Days of the Turbins at least 15 times. Even after Bulgakov fell from favor, Stalin reportedly called the theatre directly to demand the play continue its production.
Bulgakov accidentally infected himself with diphtheria while treating a child with the same disease. He began taking morphine to relieve its allergic effects. He eventually overcame the addiction by substituting injections of distilled water for morphine, a method suggested by his stepfather.
Bulgakov's Sign describes abnormal changes to the outline of the crests of the shin-bones, with a worm-eaten appearance and the creation of abnormal osteophytes, in patients suffering from later stages of syphilis. Bulgakov identified these symptoms during his early career as a venereologist. The condition is also known as the Bandy Legs Sign in the West.
Salman Rushdie named The Master and Margarita as an inspiration for his novel The Satanic Verses, published in 1988. Mick Jagger cited it as part of the inspiration for The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," also from 1968. Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam drew on it for the lyrics of "Pilate," featured on the band's 1998 album Yield.