Goodreads | El maestro y Margarita

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Robert rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

05/28/07

It is difficult to read the Master and Margarita without an uncomfortable awareness of one’s lack of understanding and ability to viscerally relate to the 1920’s Soviet Russia Bulgakov was enthusiastically eviscerating, and therefore easy (and maybe more enjoyable) to read it from a purely acontextual, Formalistic point of view. That being said, it is precisely those times where Bulgakov allows himself to overtly attack his enemies and speechify slightly on the stultifying nature of bureauc...more It is difficult to read the Master and Margarita without an uncomfortable awareness of one’s lack of understanding and ability to viscerally relate to the 1920’s Soviet Russia Bulgakov was enthusiastically eviscerating, and therefore easy (and maybe more enjoyable) to read it from a purely acontextual, Formalistic point of view. That being said, it is precisely those times where Bulgakov allows himself to overtly attack his enemies and speechify slightly on the stultifying nature of bureaucratic involvement in literature and creation which are least involving and intoxicating. And whatever else, The Master and Margarita is intoxicating and best enjoyed through a full surrender to its experience and the multiple, intersecting, complimenting, and possibly contradictory worlds it creates and presents.

Although the realities of the Master and Margarita as, in part, an anti-Stalinist statement, are undeniable, it is truly limiting to read it primarily as such. Maybe the most fruitful thing to keep in mind as a reader about the act of the book’s creation (as, has been said time and again, it is on one level a book about itself) and its historical context is that Bulgakov surely knew that there was absolutely no way that even a word of such a nutty, anarchic, stubborn, and anti-dogmatic book would ever be published while the Stalinist system survived. But he wrote it anyway. As readers we get to chew over the question, as is also explored and played with in the narrative, "Why?"

We expect Russian authors of certain generations to be moralists, and Bulgakov certainly falls within that sphere, but he is obstinate in both his determination to shrug at and even playfully celebrate behavior that would certainly have been viewed contemporarily as immoral, as well as to unflinchingly and determinedly state that there are, if not behaviors, than certainly states or stances, which are worthy of both redemption and praise, as well as damnation and ridicule. His Satan, in the form of Woland, is not really all that evil, and is more in partnership with Bulgakov’s Jesus, in the form of Yeshua, than he is in opposition, which the linear, moralistic (and in the novel, inaccurate) Matthew of the gospels, cannot grasp, but the uncompromising and obsessed artist (the Master) and lover of authenticity over doctrinaire comfort (Margarita) can.

In the end it is probably best to recognize one’s limitations as a contemporary, post-Soviet reader, give it a nod, and move on and simply enjoy the ride as an inspired, gleeful, and sometimes sophomoric attack on cowardice, inauthenticity, mediocrity, dogma (be it of the state or the spirit) and bourgeois comfort-seeking and morality while celebrating passion, love, lack of compromise, creativity, and the unfettered seeking of truth even while knowing that it is unlikely that such a search will result in definitive answers.

Regarding the translation: I originally read the Mirra Ginsburg translation, but at the strong recommendation of an Ukranian friend just read the Michael Glenny translation, which she said was better and more definitive. Although, as I am unable to read Russian, I can’t speak to the comparatively definitive nature of the two, after having compared several passages I can certainly say that the Glenny translation is more poetic and elicitous of Bulgakov’s gleefully whacked out vision.
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Libby rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

06/18/08

bookshelves: summerreading08, year-of-only-good-books

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Libby by: My lovely sister
recommends it for: Folklore fans, Lit buffs

Very little can prepare you for the wild ride that is Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," especially if you've read other literature or folklore that have the devil as a character. What will be helpful, I suspect, is knowing a bit about the time and setting of the novel. Bulgakov wrote this book between 1930 and 1940 while living in Moscow under Stalin. The book is set in 1920, when everything was being taken under government control, from the distribution of food and bever...more Very little can prepare you for the wild ride that is Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita," especially if you've read other literature or folklore that have the devil as a character. What will be helpful, I suspect, is knowing a bit about the time and setting of the novel. Bulgakov wrote this book between 1930 and 1940 while living in Moscow under Stalin. The book is set in 1920, when everything was being taken under government control, from the distribution of food and beverages to city living quarters. Foreign nationals, literature, currency, and influence were tightly controlled, if not banned, and the secret police had eyes everywhere, locking up citizens on the barest of evidence and shipping them off to labor camps in Siberia. If this weren't bad enough, opportunists played the system for their own selfish benefit, such as reporting one's neighbor to the secret police in order to move into the neighbor's apartment. Religion went from being state-sanctioned to all but banned, and churches were vandalized and looted. All published literature was so scrutinized that only the most coded dissent could get through the censors. Bulgakov went from being an acclaimed playwright to an artist dependent on the unpredictable whims of the regime, having plays produced at theatres, but then shut down shortly after opening.

"The Master and Margarita," is in part a frustrated artist's reaction to all of this, as the devil appears in Moscow and wreaks merry havoc on those people whose mediocrity allowed them to thrive under Stalin, but it is also a great deal more. There are two other narratives entwined with the devil's mischief: a retelling of the Christian crucifixion with Pontius Pilate as the main character, whose story is told by several different narrators, and the story of a writer known simply as The Master and his married lover Margarita. Bulgakov has a great deal of structural fun with these three stories, leaping from one to the other with ease and weaving threads from each story into the others. But ultimately, this book is much more than the stories that comprise it. It's at turns winsome and grotesque, horrifying and hilarious, but at its core a book about hope and intellectual honesty. Though Bulgakov's masterpiece wasn't published until after his death (and Stalin's), the devil's reassurance that no truth can ever be truly lost feels simultaneously prophetic and poignant.

I highly recommend this book for anybody seeking freedom from genre and cliche....less

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Martine rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

02/12/08

bookshelves: continental-european, fantasy, magic-realism, modern-fiction, modernism, russian

Read in February, 2008

What would happen if Satan were to alight on a modern metropolis like Moscow and wreak havoc in it? That's just one of the questions asked and answered in this twentieth-century Russian classic, which is said to have been the inspiration for the Rolling Stones song 'Sympathy for the Devil'.

You can see why Mick Jagger and his cronies would be intrigued by the devil as portrayed in The Master and Margarita. Bulgakov's Satan is not necessarily purely evil; he just punishes sceptics and ...more What would happen if Satan were to alight on a modern metropolis like Moscow and wreak havoc in it? That's just one of the questions asked and answered in this twentieth-century Russian classic, which is said to have been the inspiration for the Rolling Stones song 'Sympathy for the Devil'.

You can see why Mick Jagger and his cronies would be intrigued by the devil as portrayed in The Master and Margarita. Bulgakov's Satan is not necessarily purely evil; he just punishes sceptics and greedy people, and does so in extremely creative ways. He has a lot of personality, and if that weren't enough, he also has a fascinating retinue of demons and zombies who gleefully go about creating their own brand of creative mischief. The result, as you might expect, is an orgy of chaos in which people get killed, scared out of their wits, humiliated and spirited away, usually in fairly inventive ways. It's hard not to admire Bulgakov's imagination in these scenes; he really does come up with some outrageous stuff, and except for the one chapter in which one of the main characters flies over Moscow on a broomstick, you'll buy it -- even the gun-toting cat who cannot be killed. That's how good his writing is.

It's not all wicked mayhem, though. Interwoven with the main story are descriptions of the last days of Pilate and Christ, which seem a bit disjointed at first but have a strangely beautiful quality. These, it turns out, are chapters from a book written by 'the master', an author (surely an autobiographical representation of Bulgakov himself) whose career has been ruined by the authorities. Soviet Russia is never mentioned in the book (its Moscow has a distinctly timeless flavour), but The Master and Margarita is in fact a surreal parody on what was happening during Bulgakov's lifetime, with Satan carrying out the purges Stalin was carrying out in real life. Among other things, Bulgakov satirises literary life in the Soviet Union, which for him wasn't a tremendous lot of fun. He also defends Christianity (albeit in a way the Church did not really appreciate), which in the atheistic Soviet Union was enough of a no-no that he never even tried getting the book published during his lifetime.

While I greatly enjoyed the panache with which Bulgakov describes the demons' exploits and the various layers he seems to weave into the story, I do have a few quibbles with the book. One is that the author comes up with a tremendous cast of characters, many of whom he leaves just a tad too soon for the reader to care about them. As a result, many parts of the book feel rather episodic, especially in the middle. Furthermore, Bulgakov occasionally lets his imagination get the better of him. Margarita's flight over Moscow was one step too far for me, although I have a feeling it will make more sense to me when I reread the book, which I certainly will at some point.

These are minor quibbles, though. For the most part, The Master and Margarita is a very successful, terrifically original and occasionally funny venture into surrealism with many layers which will undoubtedly make for rewarding rereading. I definitely look forward to rereading it.
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Annie rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

07/14/07

Read in January, 2006

there are lots of songs that reference this book. i imagined it featured prominently in the "russian masters" portion of our literary allusions radio show.

* It is claimed that Mick Jagger was inspired by the novel in writing the song "Sympathy for the Devil".
* The grunge band Pearl Jam were influenced by the novel's confrontation between Yeshua Ha-Nozri and Pontius Pilate for the song, "Pilate" on their 1998 album "Yield".
* The L...more

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Adam rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

07/11/07

bookshelves: read-2007, surreal

Read in June, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

It's the story of the devil coming to Moscow in the thirties, accompanied by a team of attendant demons who manifest themselves as a fat, petulant talking black cat, a naked enigmatic woman (with an eyepatch?), a red-headed befanged man and one other guy I can't quite remember.

Basically the devil comes to town and messes with everyone's shit by appealing to their vanity, their greed, their social aspirations and their insistence in the state-sponsored atheism of Soviet Russia. Since God and ...more

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Amanda rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

11/13/07

bookshelves: knock-your-socks-off

Read in November, 2007

It's the late 1920s in Moscow when the devil comes to town with his entourage, which includes a large vodka-swilling black cat named Behemoth. What happens with the devil visits a population that doesn't believe in anything? It's brilliant and quite funny. Bulgarov satirizes the Russian literary/intellectual scene, politics, society, religion, obviously, censorship. The second half has more fantastic elements, as women become witches and Satan's ball takes place in a small apartment (which remin...more

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Jason rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

10/02/07

bookshelves: meh---

"David" said this book reads more like short stories, and I would have to agree. Perhaps it was reading in translation, but it just didn't have the flow I expected. Or perhaps I heard too much hype before I got around to it. I had trouble getting to the end because the focus seemed to be on chaos rather than cohesion. Perhaps if I new more about Russian history and culture of the time period I would enjoy it more--from what I've read and heard, this seems to be its forte.

An aft...more

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Olivia rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

10/28/08

Read in October, 2008

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov was an excellent book. Bulgakov is a Russian author who lived in Soviet Russia. Upon finishing the book, the Russian government would not allow the book to published because it revealed the corruption and laziness within the government. In The Master and Margarita, Satan comes down to visit an atheist Moscow, Russia. When he arrives, he wreaks havoc with the help of his three assistants: a giant black cat that walks oh his hind legs named Behemoth, a ...more The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov was an excellent book. Bulgakov is a Russian author who lived in Soviet Russia. Upon finishing the book, the Russian government would not allow the book to published because it revealed the corruption and laziness within the government. In The Master and Margarita, Satan comes down to visit an atheist Moscow, Russia. When he arrives, he wreaks havoc with the help of his three assistants: a giant black cat that walks oh his hind legs named Behemoth, a naked red-headed witch, and a retired choirmaster named Faggot. (meaning bassoon)
The book had many strong points. One of them is how Bulgakov illustrates the devil. Satan comes down as a German professor of Black Magic named Professor Woland. This is rather ironic because later in the story, the Professor actually performs his so-called “black magic” in front of a sold out crowd at the variety theatre. Satan gets to perform his evil magic and people will watch in amazement instead of running away in fear. Another interesting point is how The Master and Margarita alternates among 3 settings/time frames. The one is the “present”, which in this case is Moscow, Soviet Russia. In this setting, we follow the path of destruction the devil leaves and befriend on of his victims, a man by the name of Ivan. The second setting is ancient Jerusalem. In this time frame, we see Pontius Pilate, who condemns Jesus Christ to death. The third setting is lived through the eyes of Margarita, so named in the title. She is seen flying over Russia, and later on even hosts the Spring Ball in which Satan attends.
The Master and Margarita was a book with very few flaws. One of the major ones was that the translation was rather tedious. The novel was originally written in Russian, which could account to the problem because translating some things into other languages can be a hassle and lose some of their literary qualities. There is not much the author could do to fix this problem because if Bulgakov wanted the book to be tedious, than that’s the way he wanted it.
Despite the lone flaw, The Master and Margarita was a marvelous book. Anyone who enjoys dark, satanic, the-devil-controls-your-body-and-you-need-an-exorcist books, should stay away. Though this book is centered around the Devil, his appearance is less evil and more comical. The Master and Margarita is more about the Soviet Russian society and if you hear a knock on the door, you hope it wasn’t yours. Anyone who enjoys muck racking books with a hint of Satan would thoroughly enjoy this book.

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Meri rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

09/11/07

bookshelves: magic-realism, russia

Satan goes to Moscow during Stalin's purges. Muscovites are relatively unimpressed, as Satan has nothing on Stalin. Brilliantly written, intricately designed, I could read this book ten times and still find subtle implications I had missed.

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Lori rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

08/17/08

Read in August, 2008

A wild ride of a book! The devil comes to Stalin Moscow and wreaks utter havoc, most of which is extremely amusing. Yet this is not the evil Satan we normally encounter. He's actually a necessary aspect of what is necessary in our universe. What is Light if there is no Shadow? In more Christian terms (which you definitely don't need to be in order to get the point here) if you don't believe in the devil, then Christ also does not exist. So, in a roundabout way, the devil does good. And this Sata...more

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Sheffy rated it:

(review of isbn 0141180145)

04/14/08

bookshelves: bookclub

Read in April, 2008

I haven't read "Faust" which strongly influenced this tale, but it reminds me of a Russian version of a Charles Dickens' novel-- it is long and detailed, but the characters are rich (if hideous) and the descriptive perspective of living in Soviet Russia illuminating. One one level, it is an amusing (if confusing and erudite) tale of mischief that befell Moscow when the devil comes to town. But Bulgakov strikes at many more levels, criticizing the totalitarian Soviet state, the coward...more I haven't read "Faust" which strongly influenced this tale, but it reminds me of a Russian version of a Charles Dickens' novel-- it is long and detailed, but the characters are rich (if hideous) and the descriptive perspective of living in Soviet Russia illuminating. One one level, it is an amusing (if confusing and erudite) tale of mischief that befell Moscow when the devil comes to town. But Bulgakov strikes at many more levels, criticizing the totalitarian Soviet state, the cowardice populace that fails to stand up to it, as well as the literary elite that control the arts. Interwoven into his Soviet plot line is a backstory of Pontious Pilate. Many of the symbols (that weren't described in the numerous footnotes) went over my head, so I leave the interpretations to literary scholars (this book was long to get through and felt like an assignment for a lit class).
However, one of the more unique aspects of this book is its history--Bulgakov started writing in the 20s, but in fear of being discovered by the authorities, he burns his manuscript (as did one of the books characters). He then recreates the book from memory, completing it ca. 1938, shortly before his death. However, apparently he never planned to publish it, for he would certainly be arrested. His wife did published a slighted edited version in 1966 as a serial in a magazine (but people marveled how such a controversial book ever escaped outright censorship). In our book club, there were 4 translations floating around (some edited, my version CLEARLY NOT edited, but with interesting footnotes--I read the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation from 1997).
My outstanding question: if he didn't intend to publish, who was his audience? Was he writing for posterity, assuming Russia's political situation would change? Was he writing for himself or his friends (he shows off his learning with many obscure historical/literary references)? Or, just as in his parallel story of the Gospel Matthew, was he writing for a religous/higher power?...less

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Tiffany rated it:

(review of isbn 0679410465)

01/28/08

bookshelves: to-read__own__

Read in January, 2008

The Devil and his crew come to Moscow and wreak havoc; an author ("the master") and his mistress (Margarita); the master's brilliant story about Pontius Pilate and Jesus in Jerusalem; Pontius Pilate and Jesus in Jerusalem; Satan's Ball. All these plots are beautifully woven into one coherent and amazing story that will take you on an incredible flight.

This is one of those books that I actually stopped reading for a while toward the end of my time with it because I didn't want it t...more

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Ken rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

11/19/07

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: anyone who can read

Having never read any of the 'great' Russian authors I approached the book with some trepidation, but that was tempered by the fact that this particular edition apparently once belonged to Beck!
The English translation (by Mirra Ginsberg) of this Bulgakov novel is so brilliant that I'm seriously considering learning Russian just to see how good the original text must have been..
The prose flows kineticly, bouncing the reader from the time of Pontius Pilate to 20th century Moscow to a ball i...more

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David rated it:

(review of isbn 0141180145)

07/03/07

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: devil-worshippers, talking cats

The devil knows why I chose to re-read Master and Margarita.

To me, the book read more like a collection of short stories than as a novel with a cohesive narrative and theme. Sometimes, these short stories are phenomenally vivid and powerful: the seance of black magic at the Variety, the master's recollection of lost love in the madhouse, Margarita turning witch and destroying her master's enemy's apartment. Sometimes, they dragged on, parables of life in Moscow under Stalin, sometimes f...more

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evan rated it:

(review of isbn 0141180145)

03/27/07

Read in January, 2005

recommends it for: homosexual anarchists

a devil takes over Moscow, and it's not stalin! though this book couldn't have been written without stalin. he should be listed as coauthor, tho bulgakov went though much heartache to get this book finished. thus bulgakov must be credited as well.

this is one of the finest novels for humankind, a novel that would have been impossible for a sleazy american to write. there's madness and the joy from it. there's a beheading by tram. there are scenes of such extravagant guilty pleasures that one ...more

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Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

09/18/08

bookshelves: 2-stars, classics, fiction, novels, politics, russian, social-criticism

Read in May, 2007

I can understand why this book comes so highly recommended, and I can logically see how and why it appeals to people so much, but for me it fell completely flat.
I'm a huge fan of Russian lit so I was fully expecting to love it. Unfortunately, in my mind, it suffers from the fatal flaw of being exactly the wrong length. Just long enough to get tedious (several scenes drag interminably) and too short to give the multitude of characters (too many) any background or depth. I just couldn't mak...more

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Matt rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

04/03/07

Read in February, 2007

recommends it for: Fantasy fans with a mean streak

This book is like a martini made with good vodka. Very dry, a little offsetting at first taste, but very complex and rewarding to those who can really savor it. (Aren't I clever?)

I don't have much Russian in my bookshelves, but the little I do share common traits of dense prose in which everything even remotely related to the main story is given attention. It can feel sterile until you realize it's speaking to you with tongue firmly in cheek.

That's why a novel about Satan coming to Mosco...more

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Avital rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

07/13/07

bookshelves: russian

One of the most amazing books I've read. Surreal, lyrical, satirical and romantic.
The devil comes to Moscow with his partners: a huge black cat, a man in glasses who carries a chicken bone in his pocket where others carry a handkerchief, and a funny bony guy who talks a lot. Their actions, going through the literary organization, government offices (where a headless clerk keeps writing), theatre and apartments expose the rotten foundation. They only respect true love, the love of a real write...more

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Jacek rated it:

(review of isbn 0141180145)

11/15/08

Read in July, 2008

The funniest book I have ever read (Dead Souls second only because, raised by parents who lived in Communist Poland, all the situations Bulgakov makes fun of hit closer to home), but also one of the best-constructed and, quite simply, beautiful as well.

The novel is made up of three or four interlapping stories, with a large cast of amazing characters (Behemoth and Koroviev loom especially large) driving the layered story along. Each is extremely worthwhile in its own right, with the heart ly...more

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Matthew rated it:

(review of isbn 0679760806)

10/02/08

Re-telling of the passion story, with Pontius Pilate getting his penance in the form of an anklet tied to the moon, and the devil running around the Moscow theater scene with a vicious bowler hat wearing sidekick.

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