The Master and Margarita
Surely, no stranger work exists in the annals of protest literature than The Master and Margarita. Written during the Soviet crackdown of the 1930s, when Mikhail Bulgakov's works were effectively banned, it wraps its anti-Stalinist message in a complex allegory of good and evil. Or would that be the other way around? The book's chief character is Satan, who appears in the...more
Paperback, 412 pages
Published
January 1st 2001
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1966)
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EXTRA! EXTRA! This review has now been immortalized in audio format. Authentic Russian accent and Russian quotes are provided free of charge :) http://soundcloud.com/nataliyac/the-m...
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I'm staying home from work today, sick to the extreme, and it's only in that unique feverish clarity that comes with illness that I dare to even try to write about this book.
This is THE book. The one that all the other books are measured against. The one that I've read more times since I was twe...more
The Chicago Tribune wrote: “The book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative and poignant, and everywhere full of rich descriptive passages.”
Hilarious and contemplative my ass, CT. This book is an interminable slog.
Look, here’s the deal. I get that this book satirizes 1930s Stalinist Russia, and I get that—for some—this earns The Master and Margarita a place on their “works-of-historical-importance” shelves. But for me, it earns nothing. I mean, let’s just call a spade a spade, shall we...more
Hilarious and contemplative my ass, CT. This book is an interminable slog.
Look, here’s the deal. I get that this book satirizes 1930s Stalinist Russia, and I get that—for some—this earns The Master and Margarita a place on their “works-of-historical-importance” shelves. But for me, it earns nothing. I mean, let’s just call a spade a spade, shall we...more
This review is dedicated to Mary, the very model of a perfect co-moderator and GR friend.
Unlocking the Meaning of The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov
In the decades following the publication of The Master and Margarita, myriad critics have attempted to find a key to unlock the meaning of Bulgakov’s unfinished masterwork. Some viewed the novel as a political roman à clef, laboriously substituting historical figures from Stalinist Moscow for Bulgakov’s characters. Others posited a religious fo...more
Unlocking the Meaning of The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov
In the decades following the publication of The Master and Margarita, myriad critics have attempted to find a key to unlock the meaning of Bulgakov’s unfinished masterwork. Some viewed the novel as a political roman à clef, laboriously substituting historical figures from Stalinist Moscow for Bulgakov’s characters. Others posited a religious fo...more
Jun 13, 2012
s.penkevich
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
You, Citizen!
Recommended to s.penkevich by:
The Devil knows who!
Manuscripts don’t burn…
Mikhail Bulgakov, who is no stranger to the pale fire of a burning manuscript, has created a masterpiece of fiction that truly cannot be burned. Having been completed, but not fully edited, by the time of Bulgakov’s demise, this novel survived Soviet censorship and the test of time to remain one of the foremost Russian novels of the 20th century, and still holds relevance in today’s world. From political intrigue and scathing social satire to religious commentary and witch...more
Mikhail Bulgakov, who is no stranger to the pale fire of a burning manuscript, has created a masterpiece of fiction that truly cannot be burned. Having been completed, but not fully edited, by the time of Bulgakov’s demise, this novel survived Soviet censorship and the test of time to remain one of the foremost Russian novels of the 20th century, and still holds relevance in today’s world. From political intrigue and scathing social satire to religious commentary and witch...more
The first time I read The Master and Margarita many years ago I saw it as a diamond in the rough. Rereading it now, I can see how brilliant that diamond really is.
But...more
It's difficult to explain the effect of this book. There is such a wild oscillation in it that swings us back and forth between two worlds: the world of Moscow - a wild circus with the devil Woland as ringmaster - and the world of Yershalaim (Jerusalem). These are fictional reinventions that retain a basic truth.
Jubilee edition
But...more
I am not quite sure what I think about this book. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. The sudden twists and turns in tone didn't throw me off, but they did leave me a bit discombobulated. I wonder if I was trying to read it too closely, if I should have just let it wash over me the first time, and then gone back to think about it some more.
People talk about this as a comic novel, and most of the time, I didn't get that impression. Maybe not my type of humour? But the events that were supposed t...more
People talk about this as a comic novel, and most of the time, I didn't get that impression. Maybe not my type of humour? But the events that were supposed t...more
Swimming Against the Stream
This was my second reading of “The Master and Margarita”, although the first must have been in the mid-70’s.
I had vivid memories of the first reading, although if you had asked me to describe them, I wouldn’t have been able to. All I can recall is something fluid and magical.
I hesitate to use the term “Magical Realism”, because I wasn’t aware of it at the time and, besides, I dispute whether the term applies to Bulgakov’s work.
My experience this time was quite differen...more
This was my second reading of “The Master and Margarita”, although the first must have been in the mid-70’s.
I had vivid memories of the first reading, although if you had asked me to describe them, I wouldn’t have been able to. All I can recall is something fluid and magical.
I hesitate to use the term “Magical Realism”, because I wasn’t aware of it at the time and, besides, I dispute whether the term applies to Bulgakov’s work.
My experience this time was quite differen...more
This book challenged me...
After reading Nataliya's review, which I highly recommend, I expected to learn about the Russian perspective on the human condition. I expected to smile at Bulgakov's dark sense of humor. And I surely did experience those things. But this book had unexpected side effects on me:
I felt ignorant. I had believed that a brave person is always free, because we can choose the direction to paddle our personal life canoe. But this author made me wonder what my life would be like...more
After reading Nataliya's review, which I highly recommend, I expected to learn about the Russian perspective on the human condition. I expected to smile at Bulgakov's dark sense of humor. And I surely did experience those things. But this book had unexpected side effects on me:
I felt ignorant. I had believed that a brave person is always free, because we can choose the direction to paddle our personal life canoe. But this author made me wonder what my life would be like...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I knew that this was going to be a book that I loved the moment I learned that Satan was the main character. This is not due to any particular affinity for devil worship on my part, but because I love Tricksters in literature and in Western civilization you don't get a better trickster than the devil. Watching him turn Stalinist Moscow on its head proved to be one of the most amusing and engrossing things I've read all year.
From the moment he first materializes as the black magician Woland at a...more
From the moment he first materializes as the black magician Woland at a...more
The Devil went down to Georgia
He was lookin’ for a soul to steal --
Er, no. Different story. Sorry. The Prince of Darkness in this tale is not an egomaniacal fiddler but a ringleader whose retinue (and, let’s be honest here, good ol’ garden-variety greed, pride and other stone-inscribed sins peculiar to human beans) wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Muscovite population one hot spring. The ensuing chaos and its key players had me wondering how Bulgakov was yet another writer (like Milton before him...more
He was lookin’ for a soul to steal --
Er, no. Different story. Sorry. The Prince of Darkness in this tale is not an egomaniacal fiddler but a ringleader whose retinue (and, let’s be honest here, good ol’ garden-variety greed, pride and other stone-inscribed sins peculiar to human beans) wreak havoc on an unsuspecting Muscovite population one hot spring. The ensuing chaos and its key players had me wondering how Bulgakov was yet another writer (like Milton before him...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...more
Review
My review following a re-reading is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I originally rated the novel as four stars on the basis of my first reading.
Earlier Place Holder
This novel inspired Mick Jagger to write "Sympathy for the Devil" from the album "Beggars Banquet".
Jagger's lyrics adopt the character of the Satanic Professor Woland.
My recollection of the novel is that its tone is much more diverse, almost magic realist in parts.
October 24, 2011
My review following a re-reading is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I originally rated the novel as four stars on the basis of my first reading.
Earlier Place Holder
This novel inspired Mick Jagger to write "Sympathy for the Devil" from the album "Beggars Banquet".
Jagger's lyrics adopt the character of the Satanic Professor Woland.
My recollection of the novel is that its tone is much more diverse, almost magic realist in parts.
October 24, 2011
I’m going to be honest; I have no idea how to review about like The Master and Margarita. I was looking forward to reading another Russian classic but I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared for a book like this. The whole book is based around a visit by the Devil to two passionately atheistic Russians. While this is an overly simplified synopsis it really is basis of the entire book; if I really want to write a fully detailed overview of this book it would include a black cat, an assassin, a...more
There once was a book praised as boff
That caused others to pan it and scoff
So who wrote this thing
Whence sentiments swing?
T’was a Russian they called Bulgakov.
The culture was smothered by Stalin
He purged those he felt failed to fall in.
So how to respond
Sans magical wand?
With satire, to show it’s appallin’.
The book has been said to have layers
With multiple plotlines and players.
There’s good and there’s bad
And witches unclad.
Can naked truth sate the naysayers?
The Devil’s own minions had power.
Blin...more
That caused others to pan it and scoff
So who wrote this thing
Whence sentiments swing?
T’was a Russian they called Bulgakov.
The culture was smothered by Stalin
He purged those he felt failed to fall in.
So how to respond
Sans magical wand?
With satire, to show it’s appallin’.
The book has been said to have layers
With multiple plotlines and players.
There’s good and there’s bad
And witches unclad.
Can naked truth sate the naysayers?
The Devil’s own minions had power.
Blin...more
A poet "Homeless" and a magazine editor,Berlioz, are having a conversation, in a Moscow park,just before the start of the second world war. Drinking sodas,discussing business, ordinary right? That's the last time in the novel.An apparition appears and a seven foot transparent man, is seen floating above their heads.But only Berlioz spots it.He's obviously sick... Later a foreign stranger, joins them on the next bench.They start a conversation about Jesus, if he really existed.The newcomer,a self...more
"‘I’m to follow him there?’ the master asked anxiously, holding the bridle.
‘No,’ replied Woland, ‘why run after what is already finished.’"
Such a fascinating clash of narration and character, story and story-telling, a kind of collapse of Demons and Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed its playfulness and its banal viciousness, in tandem, from the characters and from Bulgakov himself, but also the knife-like and capricious tenderness that emerges like a nervous blackguard hiding his ill-gotten gains s...more
‘No,’ replied Woland, ‘why run after what is already finished.’"
Such a fascinating clash of narration and character, story and story-telling, a kind of collapse of Demons and Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed its playfulness and its banal viciousness, in tandem, from the characters and from Bulgakov himself, but also the knife-like and capricious tenderness that emerges like a nervous blackguard hiding his ill-gotten gains s...more
Mikhail Bulgakov passed away shortly after Stalin's Great Purge; it occurred from about 1937 to 1938 and was intended to rid the Soviet Union of traitors, subversive elements, and most importantly, enemies of Stalin. The NKVD (the secret police organization of the Soviet Union) had executed over over 600,000 people, the most notable one being Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Trotsky. Bulgakov's relationship with Stalin, however, was more or less safe. Stalin enjoyed Bulgakov's early plays, even thou...more
Aug 22, 2011
Nate D
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cowardice is the worst of sins
Recommended to Nate D by:
manuscripts don't burn
Re-reading can be a terribly useful practice. I enjoyed the book enough before I suppose, but not nearly so much as this time. Part of it is that I'm reading a better translation, funnier and more poetic, by Mirra Ginsberg, whose impeccable Zamyatin translations greatly impressed me back in June. Unfortunately, her 1967 translation was of the censored original Russian publication from which editors omitted some 60 typescript pages (!) from the final version prepared by Bulgakov's wife Elena Serg...more
Jun 18, 2008
Libby
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Folklore fans, Lit buffs
Recommended to Libby by:
My lovely sister
Shelves:
summerreading08,
year-of-only-good-books
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 cit...more
Like so many stories, especially our stories about "the devil" - mankind's go-to scapegoat for all its foibles - this one is ultimately about human frailty. But unlike most stories about our dealings with the devil, The Master and Margarita doesn't end on a tragic note. It doesn't necessarily end on a happy note, either, but there's really no room for such dichotomous thinking here. Rather, it ends with something that everyone from Jesus to Pontius Pilate probably deserves, at least when viewed...more
Dec 29, 2010
oriana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2010,
too-smart-for-their-own-good
My birthday is always right next to Thanksgiving. Growing up, this pissed the shit out of me, because a) my birthday always got overshadowed by turkey and I had to sleep on the floor in the basement in a sleeping bag because a visiting grandma or aunt or someone got my bed, and b) all my friends were always either out of town or busy with family and couldn't come hang out and party with me.
Anyway, my parents always "consoled" me by saying that someday I'd be old enough to appreciate that I'd al...more
Anyway, my parents always "consoled" me by saying that someday I'd be old enough to appreciate that I'd al...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 peop...more
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 peop...more
Aug 13, 2010
Paquita Maria Sanchez
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature
This novel is:
1. Sinister yet slapstick
2. Dark yet light-hearted
3. Destructive yet redemptive
4. Straightforward yet intricate
5. Lengthy yet speedy
6. Critical yet sympathetic
Though Bulgakov masterfully crafts a feeling of creeping dread, his whimsical story-telling and satirical voice leave you feeling like you are riding the teacups at the state fair or bouncing around as a toddler on your papa's knee. The demons and devil he creates are multifaceted, rather than one-dimensional representations...more
1. Sinister yet slapstick
2. Dark yet light-hearted
3. Destructive yet redemptive
4. Straightforward yet intricate
5. Lengthy yet speedy
6. Critical yet sympathetic
Though Bulgakov masterfully crafts a feeling of creeping dread, his whimsical story-telling and satirical voice leave you feeling like you are riding the teacups at the state fair or bouncing around as a toddler on your papa's knee. The demons and devil he creates are multifaceted, rather than one-dimensional representations...more
I'm just going to let the sparrow take the wheel of this humble attempt to review a book that I cannot find the words to adequately define! The fox trotting sparrow that is. Haven't read this book yet? If you haven't, that isn't a spoiler, it's just a fantastical little paragraph and image that has stuck with me. Imagine...a sparrow dancing the foxtrot...and then pooping. Are you doing it? OK, now you're ready for this book.
I sure wasn't ready for what was in store for me. I struggled at first....more
I sure wasn't ready for what was in store for me. I struggled at first....more
That was one truly great book.
- The burning book of the Master, but later it is given back to him by Voland with the saying that "manuscripts don't burn"
- The Master and Margarita
- Margarita flying on her broom over Moscow
- This character doesn't even need an introduction - Behemoth
- Azazello
The witch Hella
- Koroviev, Behemoth, and Voland
- The ball organized by Satan every year, where Margarita is hostess.
- The characters leaving Moscow and going to their next adventure maybe...
The...more
- The burning book of the Master, but later it is given back to him by Voland with the saying that "manuscripts don't burn"
- The Master and Margarita
- Margarita flying on her broom over Moscow
- This character doesn't even need an introduction - Behemoth
- Azazello
The witch Hella
- Koroviev, Behemoth, and Voland
- The ball organized by Satan every year, where Margarita is hostess.
- The characters leaving Moscow and going to their next adventure maybe...The...more
Dislcaimer: I wrote this after my first reading of the book, three years ago, before developing a special interest in this era. I've grown to appreciate it more, especially in re-reading in August 2011. But my initial reaction will stay here, anyway:
An enjoyable foray through the dark days of Stalinist Russia, but one that may be somewhat undercut by its increasing reliance on the magical to move the plot. Political references abound, but usually not in any manner central to the story, and I fou...more
An enjoyable foray through the dark days of Stalinist Russia, but one that may be somewhat undercut by its increasing reliance on the magical to move the plot. Political references abound, but usually not in any manner central to the story, and I fou...more
شاید بشود گفت که سرزمین روسیه پیش از آمریکای لاتین، مولد رئالیسم جادویی باشد. ابتدا باید گوگول را با داستان هایی نظیر "بینی" و "بالاپوش"، مبداء این مکتب دانست و سپس و پیش از آن که بورخس و مارکز قدم در این مکتب بگذارند، "مرشد و مارگریتا" نوشته شده است. بولگاکف که به عنوان یک نمایش نامه نویس، مشهور بود، تنها بیست و هفت سال پس از مرگش در 1940، معلوم شد چهار رمان، از جمله مرشد و مارگریتا را در سال های میان 1928 تا 1940 نوشته است، زمانی که هنوز هم همه ی آثارش اجازه ی چاپ نداشت. و مرشد و مارگریتا ابتد...more
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| r/books: May 16th-22nd Ch. 19-26 | 2 | 5 | 20 hours, 26 min ago | |
| r/books: May 9th -15th- Ch. 10-18 | 5 | 9 | May 16, 2013 07:30pm | |
| Latvija: * Ārzemju (maijs) – MEISTARS UN MARGARITA | 8 | 48 | May 15, 2013 11:46pm | |
| r/books: May 1st-8th: Ch 1-9 | 10 | 24 | May 13, 2013 02:52pm | |
| 2013 Reading Chal...: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov | 2 | 20 | May 07, 2013 02:34am | |
| r/books: Our May Book is The Master and Margarita! | 2 | 17 | May 02, 2013 10:12am | |
| La Stamberga dei ...: Terzo GdL: Il Maestro e Margherita di Michail Bulgakov | 89 | 54 | Apr 29, 2013 05:46am |
Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was the first of six children in the family of a theology professor. His family belonged to the intellectual elite of Kiev. Bulgakov and his brothers took part in the demonstration commemorating the death of Leo Tolstoy. Bulgakov later graduated with honors from the Medical School of Kiev University in 1915. He married his classmate Tatiana...more
More about Mikhail Bulgakov...
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“But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if
evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows
disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the
shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.
Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because
of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.”
—
297 people liked it
evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows
disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the
shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.
Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because
of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.”
“Everything will turn out right, the world is built on that.”
—
199 people liked it
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidel...
Oct 17, 2012 11:23am
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidel..."
Just saw your comment. Huh. Should I be preparing for the paparazzi onsl...more
Oct 27, 2012 08:15pm