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Product Description
Product Description
A fully annotated translation of the most complete text of Bulgakov’s exuberant comic masterpiece
Book Description
A literary sensation from its first publication, The Master and Margarita has become an astonishing phenomenon in Russia and has been translated into more than twenty languages, and made into plays and films. Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel is now considered one of the seminal works of twentieth-century Russian literature. In this imaginative extravaganza the devil, disguised as a magician, descends upon Moscow in the 1930s with his riotous band, which includes a talking cat and an expert assassin. Together they succeed in comically befuddling a population which denies the devil’s existence, even as it is confronted with the diabolic results of a magic act gone wrong. This visit to the world capital of atheism has several aims, one of which concerns the fate of the Master, a writer who has written a novel about Pontius Pilate, and is now in a mental hospital. By turns acidly satiric, fantastic and ironically philosophical, this work constantly surprises and entertains, as the action switches back and forth between the Moscow of the 1930s and first-century Jerusalem. The commentary and afterword provide new insight into the mysterious subtexts of the novel, and here The Master and Margarita is revealed in all its complexity. ‘The Master and Margarita has at last been translated accurately and completely . . . The book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative and poignant . . . A great work’ Chicago Tribune
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A novel written and set in 1930s Moscow, The Master and Margarita is a veiled criticism of the repression of artistic licence and religious expression under Stalinism. But you won't sense that immediately - instead, you'll be trying to work out how the three plots in the book have any relation to each other. The central theme is the Devil's visit to the city with his retinue of demons and witches; intent on an orgy of chaos, he sets about murdering some, banishing or frightening others, and creating an atmosphere in Moscow of disbelief and hysteria. If he is a depiction of Stalin, so the "Master" (a reclusive author of a novel about Pontius Pilate who has wound up in a lunatic asylum) and Margarita (his bold and hedonistic lover) may represent Bulgakov himself and his third wife, Elena Sergeevna Shilovskaya. The third theme is the historical narrative of Pilate's judgement of Jesus - a story that is written by the Master but dreamt or imagined by other characters.
It's a difficult web of sheer fantasy, comic absurdity and references to real people whom Bulgakov knew and were either oppressors or the oppressed under Stalinism. But it's also about the power of narratives to restructure reality, and the struggle of writers like The Master (Bulgakov) not to be bowed into writing only what the authorities will permit. I'd argue that you don't need to be aware of the book's many references to enjoy it. Read it for what it is - a darkly comic tale where anything is possible (after all, Satan and his demons are directing the proceedings) - and don't bog yourself down with the references until a second or third reading. Instead immerse yourself in the novel's rich imagination, refusal to be realistic or dry, and biting satire of conformists. Recommended.
It's a difficult web of sheer fantasy, comic absurdity and references to real people whom Bulgakov knew and were either oppressors or the oppressed under Stalinism. But it's also about the power of narratives to restructure reality, and the struggle of writers like The Master (Bulgakov) not to be bowed into writing only what the authorities will permit. I'd argue that you don't need to be aware of the book's many references to enjoy it. Read it for what it is - a darkly comic tale where anything is possible (after all, Satan and his demons are directing the proceedings) - and don't bog yourself down with the references until a second or third reading. Instead immerse yourself in the novel's rich imagination, refusal to be realistic or dry, and biting satire of conformists. Recommended.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It takes little time to understand why this is one of the most epochal Russian novels of the 20th century. Mixing theological observation, satire and social comment into one work is never easy, and the book could have been a heavy handed diatribe on Stalinist Russia that dated badly. Instead, there is a timeless quality about this book and a light deftness of touch that ensures its longevity.
Fittingly, some of Bulgakov's expressions used in this book promptly passed into the Russian vernacular - "second grade fresh", a parody of Stalinist obfuscation that simply means "rotten" is a great example.
Interestingly for those who've heard The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil", the opening lines were inspired by the opening lines of the Devil in this book. Jagger was reportedly a great fan of the book, having been strongly urged to read it by Marianne Faithfull!
Fittingly, some of Bulgakov's expressions used in this book promptly passed into the Russian vernacular - "second grade fresh", a parody of Stalinist obfuscation that simply means "rotten" is a great example.
Interestingly for those who've heard The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil", the opening lines were inspired by the opening lines of the Devil in this book. Jagger was reportedly a great fan of the book, having been strongly urged to read it by Marianne Faithfull!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the most significant, strange and wonderful books to come out of that perplexing culture. The Master and Margarita is bleak, funny, and scary in equal parts. It also makes pacts with the devil seem positively attractive (that old thing about the devil having all the best tunes) - it is a thoroughly stylish book and easily Bulgakov's most accessible work. Read it - and then read it again!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bulgakov is a genius.
Best book I have ever read. Mental dreamscape of confusion and intricacy. no point in trying to explain the plot, just read it and ride the flight of fantasy.
Published 16 months ago by Rich Reckless
The Devil's Guide to Storytelling
I once read an article which suggested that you would get a better indication of whether or not you liked a new book by reading page 69, rather than page one. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2010 by Oracle
Genre mix
A fine and readable politically inspired fantasy.My only gripe would be that common to most Russian novels is that the same character can have up to 3 different names on the same... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2010 by nicholas hargreaves
Woland in Moscow
The Master and Margarita is a fantastic, fraught and a fascinating mixture of Faustian romance, anti-Stalinist satire and religious enquiry. Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2009 by Eileen Shaw
The Master and Margarita
A complicated but interesting plot. A book with many layers which can be enjoyed on different levels. Enjoy the learning and peel away!
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by L. Saban-Smith
Caution: Hypnotists in Moscow!
That this book exists at all is a miracle, considering it was never published during Bulgakov's lifetime, and could easily have been destroyed in the censorship under Bolshevism... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2008 by A. L. Stannard
A highly enjoyable read
A combination of satire on the Stalinist purges with Satan visiting Moscow- though not very funny if you were the wife of the theatre director Myerhold who ended up stabbed through... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2007 by PrideParkforever
GREAT!!
It is one of the funniest book I have ever read! It made me laught with all the "picture" it gives of the russian society of that time and of all these strange-normal characters,... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2006 by Daniela Attisano
A must read!
One of the best books ever written! It has everything you could possibly want from a book. I cannot even begin to describe this book and can only say that it is a must buy for the... Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2004
a great piece of literature by a genius
This is a book worth reading several times. Bulgakov talks about post revolution Russia, market economy, the great war, philosophy, human nature and his personal experiences in his... Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2003 by Mina
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