Elena Afanasyevna Bulgakova, born in 1902, was the younger sister of the famous Russian writer Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, who was 11 years her senior. She followed in the footsteps of her older sisters and enrolled in the Ekaterininskaya Women's Gymnasium, but completed her studies during the difficult years of the Civil War, which overshadowed her childhood. When Elena was only five years old, she lost her father, and in 1922 she became an orphan and moved to Moscow. In the capital, her older brother Mikhail Afanasyevich and her older sister Nadezhda Afanasyevna, who took young Elena in, were already living.

In Moscow, Mikhail Afanasyevich quickly introduced his 20-year-old sister to his circle of friends, and the writer Valentin Katayev, a friend of Mikhail, even became infatuated with Elena. Katayev wanted to marry her, but Mikhail opposed it due to his friend's financial situation. Soon, Elena enrolled in university, choosing philology as her major, and got a job at a library to avoid being a burden to Nadezhda Afanasyevna and to earn a living on her own. At the end of 1924, Nadezhda's husband, Andrei Zemskoy, introduced her to his friend, and in February 1925, Elena married Mikhail Svetlaev, a teacher at the institute, who later helped his young wife find work.

Elena Afanasyevna lived for 52 years, was a good wife and mother, and during her visits to Kyiv, she paid much attention to her numerous nieces and nephews. She passed away on May 3, 1954, and was buried at the Vagankovo Cemetery, where many of her relatives also rest.