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The Master and Margarita: A Graphic Novel
The Master and the Margarita, beautifully painted in this stunning graphic novel, follows the devil and his retinue as they systematically wreak havoc in Moscow. Caught up in the chaos are two lovers: The Master, a writer broken by criticisms of his novel about Pontius Pilate, and Margarita, for whom the devil has his own plans. Initially banned by the very bureaucracy it criticised, Bulgakov's satirical novel comes to life in this new adaptation. Mixing absurdity and erudition, it depicts fantastical events with a macabre humour, contrasting mischief and murder with humility and love.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
32 people are currently reading
953 people want to read
About the author
Mikhail Bulgakov
743 books7,907 followersMikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov (Russian: Михаил Булгаков) was a Russian writer, medical doctor, and playwright. His novel
The Master and Margarita
, published posthumously, has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.
He also wrote the novel The White Guard and the plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also called The Run ), and The Days of the Turbins . He wrote mostly about the horrors of the Russian Civil War and about the fate of Russian intellectuals and officers of the Tsarist Army caught up in revolution and Civil War.
Some of his works ( Flight , all his works between the years 1922 and 1926, and others) were banned by the Soviet government, and personally by Joseph Stalin, after it was decided by them that they "glorified emigration and White generals". On the other hand, Stalin loved The Days of the Turbins (also called The Turbin Brothers ) very much and reportedly saw it at least 15 times.
He also wrote the novel The White Guard and the plays Ivan Vasilievich, Flight (also called The Run ), and The Days of the Turbins . He wrote mostly about the horrors of the Russian Civil War and about the fate of Russian intellectuals and officers of the Tsarist Army caught up in revolution and Civil War.
Some of his works ( Flight , all his works between the years 1922 and 1926, and others) were banned by the Soviet government, and personally by Joseph Stalin, after it was decided by them that they "glorified emigration and White generals". On the other hand, Stalin loved The Days of the Turbins (also called The Turbin Brothers ) very much and reportedly saw it at least 15 times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
March 23, 2012
A disappointing adaptation, all the more unfortunate for the spectacular marriage of literature and imagery it could have been. While it was a competent illustration of the general plot of the novel, this graphic version was completely barren of all the magic that imbued Bulgakov's original masterpiece. The dark, foreboding atmosphere of a Moscow teetering on the brink of hysteria in a paranoid Stalinist regime; the hint of madness in the hot summer air just waiting to drop, personified as a sort of claustrophobic release by Woland and his retinue; the dizzying sights and sounds of the devil's ball, as seen through Margaret's eyes, dispirited and ready to bid it all goodbye in a fit of recklessness; the blazing headache of the helpless procurator under the cruel Mediterranean sun..... These are evocative scenes that could have been perfectly captured by the graphic novel genre, given another artist's imagination. As it stands, the art is flat and lifeless, literal to an almost offensive degree in light of the source material.
It was an enjoyable read insofar as it refreshed my memory of the novel's events. But I would not present this to someone unfamiliar with the original; it simply doesn't do it justice. I hope that someday some brave artist who knows how to fear and how to dream and how to set fire to a page with pictures, as Bulgakov so brilliantly did with words, gives it another go.
It was an enjoyable read insofar as it refreshed my memory of the novel's events. But I would not present this to someone unfamiliar with the original; it simply doesn't do it justice. I hope that someday some brave artist who knows how to fear and how to dream and how to set fire to a page with pictures, as Bulgakov so brilliantly did with words, gives it another go.
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January 16, 2018گیرم که کجسلیقهای خیال کرده با کمیک کردن این کتاب لطفی بهش میکنه؛ گیرم که تاجری هم پیدا شده که تصمیم گرفته این کتاب رو در ایران چاپ کنه و روش برچسب کودک و نوجوان بزنه، لابد برای تضمین بازار؛ و اصلا گیرم ارشاد هم کلا بیخیال تموم خط قرمزهاش شده و بی حساب مجوزش رو صادر کرده باشه؛ چرا کتابفروشمون نباید اینقدر کتابخون باشه که بفهمه جای اینکتاب تو قفسه نوجوان نیست؟ چند بار باید همچین اتفاقی بیفته؟
January 25, 2018
Dit is het stripverhaal van het oorspronkelijke boek. Dit boek is vroeger verbannen geweest. Ik vind deze variant het boek geen eer aan doen. Ik geef het 2 sterren.
February 1, 2011
Of all places, I learned about this book,in a Hip Hop bar in the entertainment district in Seoul. After bar hoppin with an associate we finally ended up at a place where there where some Russian girls he knew by the bar. Naturally, I started a conversation with one of them on Russian literature. It was nice to have a pleasent and intelligent conversation in the least of expected places with this stranger. In the end, she recommended "Morphine" and "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov, I recommended "The Savage Detectives" by Roberto Bolano and we went our separate ways. I couldn't find Morphine so I went with the latter and I'm glad I did![I have to be honest, as I wasn't used to reading Russian literature other than at the time I was reading "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the reading was very difficult to follow at the beginning. However, as I read more and more it began to flow for me and i got used to the author's style of writing. So if you are not used to reading Russian literature I recommend you stick to this one because you are likely not going to regret it.]
This book is an absolute epic of a novel. It is a fantasy story about the devil showing up in Moscow with his band of accomplices and creating havoc. This book is so multifaceted, on the one hand, it covers black magic and how it was used by the devil and it's bandits to manipulate the citizens of Moscow which parallels the author's views and retaliation against the abuse of Stalin's soviet union. Another important storyline in this novel, is Margarita's love for a writer who ends up in a mental hospital after his dream to have his novel notably published is destroyed. Finally, the third storyline that brings all of them together is the story which the novel written by the Master is based on, that of the crucifixion of Yeshua Ha-Notsri, or Jesus Christ, by Pontius Pilate. I enjoyed the interconnectness between the stories and characters, however, at times I found it difficult to remember some of the characters as there are so many that come and go through out the story. The important thing I think is to stick to the storyline and the adventures of these lunatic devils as they harass and manipulate the many victims along their journey.
In a way, I think Mikhail Bulgakov tried to make fun of the victims of Stalin's rule by imposing ridiculous and sadanistic acts on them through the trio of Wolland, Behemoth, and Fagot (Korokyev), the main characters of this novel. Even though Margarita and the Master are also victims of the trio, in a way they become the enlightened or awaken ones as they too reject and rebel against some of the ways of their world. As the reader, I found it rather easy to side with the trio as it became apparent that one aspect of Bulgakov's story is one of backlash against the conformity of people to the bondage of government and societal powers. I found the methods of the trio to be extremely funny and hilarous at times, and in a way the author is saying; take that you fools! What can I say, by the end of the story, I was rooting for the bad guys but it is hard not to because it's almost set up this way by the author. Bulgakov has a way of portraying the victims as everyday people who have jobs, wives, and that play important parts in society but that are also very much human in that they lie, cheat, steal, are greedy and are confused, so he sets out to expose them. Having said that, there is a certain playfullness and creativity behind the acts performed by the trio that one forgets about the realness of the situations. Instead, as the reader, you submerge yourself into the scenes as if one was reading a comic full of fantasy.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an ironic, unexpected and twisted story told in the way that only Russian authors can!
[With most of the adventures in this book, I found myself in aww and fear at the same time, but always saying to myself, "I wonder what's next?, what's next!" and anticipating the next surprise just around the corner.] RP
September 12, 2019
I began collecting graphic versions of my favorite novels a number of years ago, when I discovered a publisher called Self Made Hero that produces visual renditions of classic works. I hadn't read their edition of The Master and Margarita yet, which I realized the other day when I began casually leafing through it. I decided to just go ahead and read it.
Now, none of these graphic novels are ever going to approach the originals—obviously—but I like to see what the artists decide to do with it; which moments they choose to capture (and ignore), how they draw certain characters and events, what they decide to embellish, and so on. This one started out promising (I really liked the opening scene), but then just kind of fell flat. Which is a real shame, considering that The Master and Margarita is already about as graphic a novel as a regular novel can get.
October 24, 2011
It's cruel to give this book a low rating. It's clearly born from two talented artists' love for Bulgakov's matchless novel. But I can't help feeling (strongly) that anyone who picked up this version without first reading Bulgakov would be cheating themselves of one of the chief literary delights of the twentieth century. And afterwards? – it seems redundant.
On one level The Master and Margarita is indeed a cartoon, even a burlesque. Andrej Kilmowski and Danusia Schejbal capture this aspect well – but that's really all they can capture. The book is pure literature; its magic is in its language (which survives translation from Russian into English in the art of translators such Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky or – in my preferred version – Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor). There's no way a graphic novel can capture what Bulgakov makes of Satan, who turns out to be a devil very different from his incarnations in the Bible, Milton, the Faust legends or any other story I know. Put simply, he isn't evil but he is magnificently, hilariously Other. Bulgakov did with Stalinist Moscow what Dante did with medieval Florence: created a comedy that recreates and revives our sense of what is it to be human, even under an absurd and lethal tyranny.
So is this a stupid review, since it seems I'm only praising Bulgakov all over again? Probably. I admire the artists for trying, but there's no substitute for the book, only distractions.
On one level The Master and Margarita is indeed a cartoon, even a burlesque. Andrej Kilmowski and Danusia Schejbal capture this aspect well – but that's really all they can capture. The book is pure literature; its magic is in its language (which survives translation from Russian into English in the art of translators such Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky or – in my preferred version – Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor). There's no way a graphic novel can capture what Bulgakov makes of Satan, who turns out to be a devil very different from his incarnations in the Bible, Milton, the Faust legends or any other story I know. Put simply, he isn't evil but he is magnificently, hilariously Other. Bulgakov did with Stalinist Moscow what Dante did with medieval Florence: created a comedy that recreates and revives our sense of what is it to be human, even under an absurd and lethal tyranny.
So is this a stupid review, since it seems I'm only praising Bulgakov all over again? Probably. I admire the artists for trying, but there's no substitute for the book, only distractions.
January 10, 2026
The original novel is astonishing, yet this adaptation manages to flatten and trivialize the material. The result is a bare broad sketch tracing the outlines of the source material. The art does little to illuminate or enrich.
Keep meaning to reread the classic novel. Thought I would give this adaptation a go. I did. I gave it a go, and it went, and now it’s gone. I still want to reread Bulgakov!
Keep meaning to reread the classic novel. Thought I would give this adaptation a go. I did. I gave it a go, and it went, and now it’s gone. I still want to reread Bulgakov!
August 11, 2021
Non sono riuscito a farmi coinvolgere piu' di tanto da questa riduzione (termine non casuale) fumettistica. Non sono sicuro che restituisca lo spirito e la qualita' dello scritto originale.
August 14, 2018
“Manuscripts do not burn..”
The Master And Margarita by Bulgakov Klimowski Schejbal is a graphic novel based on the actual novel of the same name. This follows the devil and his entourage as they cause chaos in Moscow. There are two people which are caught up in this mess, The Master, a writer broken by criticisms of his novel about Pontius Pilate, and Margarita, for whom the devil has his own plans. Initially banned, this novel tells the tale in a dark way.
I had no idea that this was based on the original novel which made sense to me when I finished it as I could tell there were parts where I didn’t quite figure out what was happening. Having said that the story has me intrigued to read the actual novel. This story is of the dark antics of the devil and its told in a macabre way with humour and thought provoking reactions of the humans that become entangled in the devils tricks.
The illustrations in this book I thought were beautiful. They match the tone of the novel very well and the intricate details worked well with the setting of the story.
I am now going to pick up the proper novel that came before this adaption but it is a sick and twisted story which I liked and having more knowledge of the background of it first I would then recommend picking this up.
The Master And Margarita by Bulgakov Klimowski Schejbal is a graphic novel based on the actual novel of the same name. This follows the devil and his entourage as they cause chaos in Moscow. There are two people which are caught up in this mess, The Master, a writer broken by criticisms of his novel about Pontius Pilate, and Margarita, for whom the devil has his own plans. Initially banned, this novel tells the tale in a dark way.
I had no idea that this was based on the original novel which made sense to me when I finished it as I could tell there were parts where I didn’t quite figure out what was happening. Having said that the story has me intrigued to read the actual novel. This story is of the dark antics of the devil and its told in a macabre way with humour and thought provoking reactions of the humans that become entangled in the devils tricks.
The illustrations in this book I thought were beautiful. They match the tone of the novel very well and the intricate details worked well with the setting of the story.
I am now going to pick up the proper novel that came before this adaption but it is a sick and twisted story which I liked and having more knowledge of the background of it first I would then recommend picking this up.
June 12, 2023
Le illustrazioni sono sicuramente molto belle, così come è peculiare e ben riuscita la differenza tra il bianco e nero della storia principale e le sezioni a colori per la storia di Ponzio Pilato.
Ciò che mi ha lasciato un po’ stranito è quella che mi sembra una visione contraddittoria del riadattamento: a tratti sembra che voglia essere una semplificazione e riproposizione dell’originale, di cui semplifica alcuni passaggi e omette altri, riordinandoli, sembrando per l’appunto un riadattamento per un pubblico che non ha necessariamente letto “Il Maestro e Margherita”. Altre volte, però, vi sono stacchi bruschi e accenni che confonderebbero chiunque non avesse già letto il libro. Le due sensazioni sono sempre presenti, al punto che sinceramente non saprei dire quale fosse l’idea iniziale dell’opera, se omaggio o riadattamento.
Come omaggio, quale l’ho letto io, credo sia davvero ben riuscito, salvo qualche piccola scena qua e là.
Come riadattamento, non so se lo consiglierei. O comunque manderei a leggere prima l’originale (cosa che tanto farò comunque, a un certo punto di una conversazione con chiunque).
Ovviamente ribadisco che è un capolavoro. Рукописи не горят!
Ciò che mi ha lasciato un po’ stranito è quella che mi sembra una visione contraddittoria del riadattamento: a tratti sembra che voglia essere una semplificazione e riproposizione dell’originale, di cui semplifica alcuni passaggi e omette altri, riordinandoli, sembrando per l’appunto un riadattamento per un pubblico che non ha necessariamente letto “Il Maestro e Margherita”. Altre volte, però, vi sono stacchi bruschi e accenni che confonderebbero chiunque non avesse già letto il libro. Le due sensazioni sono sempre presenti, al punto che sinceramente non saprei dire quale fosse l’idea iniziale dell’opera, se omaggio o riadattamento.
Come omaggio, quale l’ho letto io, credo sia davvero ben riuscito, salvo qualche piccola scena qua e là.
Come riadattamento, non so se lo consiglierei. O comunque manderei a leggere prima l’originale (cosa che tanto farò comunque, a un certo punto di una conversazione con chiunque).
Ovviamente ribadisco che è un capolavoro. Рукописи не горят!
July 5, 2015
Meraviglioso.
August 4, 2024
Interesante la adaptación a comic del libro
Me hubiera gustado que dibujaran mas de la fiesta o de las aventuras del gato pero entiendo que no es el punto principal de la obra
interesante como cambia de Blanco y Negro en la historia en Rusia, contra colores en la de Pilatos.
4 stars, pero como dije que le iba a bajar una pues queda en 3
Me hubiera gustado que dibujaran mas de la fiesta o de las aventuras del gato pero entiendo que no es el punto principal de la obra
interesante como cambia de Blanco y Negro en la historia en Rusia, contra colores en la de Pilatos.
4 stars, pero como dije que le iba a bajar una pues queda en 3
June 27, 2025
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is included on The 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, it is also part of the Le Monde’s 100 Books of The Century, and it is 38th on The Greatest Books of All Time site – hundreds of works from there are reviewed on my blog, I am plugging the best gig there: https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
10 out of 10
Mikhail Bulgakov was born in Kyiv – which used to be called Kiev, indeed, on the pages dedicated to the author and the book, you still get the passe, now compromised Russian name, which we need to reject, the least we can do to expose Putin’s war – so the question is, shall we celebrate him as Ukrainian or Russian?
The glorious author was censored in the Soviet Union, like so many other luminaries, and indeed, The Master and Margarita exposes communist, Soviet failures, corruption, stupid laws – such as the ban on hard currency, which was nevertheless so coveted, as I know from personal experience – idiotic officials, a failed system altogether
The surrealist aspects make me think that this was also prophetic, or/and realistic, because if we are tempted to say ‘come on, a black cat doing all that, and then Satan walking through Moscow, under the guise of Professor Woland’ then we just take a look at what is happening now in the world, the once great America and say
- Well, Orange Woland has taken over the free world
Yes, many will be turned off by such parallels or worse, even saying that this ‘very stable genius’ is Beelzebub himself – but what am I saying, many? There may be not a single person reaching so far, ergo, I can go on in the same vein – yet I say that the cult of MAGA has selected The Chosen, only he comes from the other place
Horror is mixed with comedy in The Master and Margarita, just like in this real world, where you have Orange Woland launch attacks on allies, planning to invade Greenland, Canada, Gaza, Panama and who knows what else, and then setting economies on fire, with tariffs on all, including the island with no people…
- Only penguins, called McDonald something
At the start of The Master and Margarita Satan predicts that Berlioz – the names are splendid here, Azazello, Behemoth – will die, his head will be cut off by a woman, oil being spilled, and what do you know, presto, a tram car does severe the head of the chairman and later, the head is stolen from the corpse
Furthermore, a telegram is sent ‘I have been run over by a tram car. Funeral Friday’ and the uncle receiving this, a smart man we are told, presumes that the nephew must be in a bad way, but how could he be sure of the burial on Friday – the following is another satire, the incrimination of the housing problem under communism
Then we have Yeshua Ha-Notsri, Pontus Pilates and the story of Jesus, modified but still close to the one we know from the bible, evidence of the complexity of this magnum opus, another cause for the censors to keep this off the shelves, where it stayed for such a long time – I wonder what Putin makes of it, he will claim Bulgakov though
Margarita is perhaps the most overwhelming character, she becomes a witch, for a short time, plays the insanity, or sinful game, getting some vengeance or closure, accepting a Faustian pact in order to save her lover, The Master
The latter is an alter ego of Mikhail Bulgakov, he suffers because of critics and censorship, ending up in a mental hospital, but ‘ love conquers all’, with the help of Woland, maybe The Master and Margarita will be together
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
10 out of 10
Mikhail Bulgakov was born in Kyiv – which used to be called Kiev, indeed, on the pages dedicated to the author and the book, you still get the passe, now compromised Russian name, which we need to reject, the least we can do to expose Putin’s war – so the question is, shall we celebrate him as Ukrainian or Russian?
The glorious author was censored in the Soviet Union, like so many other luminaries, and indeed, The Master and Margarita exposes communist, Soviet failures, corruption, stupid laws – such as the ban on hard currency, which was nevertheless so coveted, as I know from personal experience – idiotic officials, a failed system altogether
The surrealist aspects make me think that this was also prophetic, or/and realistic, because if we are tempted to say ‘come on, a black cat doing all that, and then Satan walking through Moscow, under the guise of Professor Woland’ then we just take a look at what is happening now in the world, the once great America and say
- Well, Orange Woland has taken over the free world
Yes, many will be turned off by such parallels or worse, even saying that this ‘very stable genius’ is Beelzebub himself – but what am I saying, many? There may be not a single person reaching so far, ergo, I can go on in the same vein – yet I say that the cult of MAGA has selected The Chosen, only he comes from the other place
Horror is mixed with comedy in The Master and Margarita, just like in this real world, where you have Orange Woland launch attacks on allies, planning to invade Greenland, Canada, Gaza, Panama and who knows what else, and then setting economies on fire, with tariffs on all, including the island with no people…
- Only penguins, called McDonald something
At the start of The Master and Margarita Satan predicts that Berlioz – the names are splendid here, Azazello, Behemoth – will die, his head will be cut off by a woman, oil being spilled, and what do you know, presto, a tram car does severe the head of the chairman and later, the head is stolen from the corpse
Furthermore, a telegram is sent ‘I have been run over by a tram car. Funeral Friday’ and the uncle receiving this, a smart man we are told, presumes that the nephew must be in a bad way, but how could he be sure of the burial on Friday – the following is another satire, the incrimination of the housing problem under communism
Then we have Yeshua Ha-Notsri, Pontus Pilates and the story of Jesus, modified but still close to the one we know from the bible, evidence of the complexity of this magnum opus, another cause for the censors to keep this off the shelves, where it stayed for such a long time – I wonder what Putin makes of it, he will claim Bulgakov though
Margarita is perhaps the most overwhelming character, she becomes a witch, for a short time, plays the insanity, or sinful game, getting some vengeance or closure, accepting a Faustian pact in order to save her lover, The Master
The latter is an alter ego of Mikhail Bulgakov, he suffers because of critics and censorship, ending up in a mental hospital, but ‘ love conquers all’, with the help of Woland, maybe The Master and Margarita will be together
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
March 18, 2012
**review of graphic novel adaptation - It's driving me crazy that Goodreads can't seem to keep the novel and its graphic novel adaptations' listings separate. I have reviewed the novel as well, but this ain't that review.**
I confess that I didn't finish this ... just couldn't get interested in the artwork. It felt like page after page of talking heads and kind of stodgy drawings. I also found the lettering kind of hard to read. I've got to stop trying these adapted-from-literature graphic novels, they don't really work. I read the novel late last year and it was great. This comics version feels much less visual than what I imagined while reading the novel.
I confess that I didn't finish this ... just couldn't get interested in the artwork. It felt like page after page of talking heads and kind of stodgy drawings. I also found the lettering kind of hard to read. I've got to stop trying these adapted-from-literature graphic novels, they don't really work. I read the novel late last year and it was great. This comics version feels much less visual than what I imagined while reading the novel.
March 3, 2019
The devil and his acolytes visit Moscow and chaos results. For many people, life will never be the same again. And this is particularly so for the eponymous characters. The Master is an author who has written a novel about Pontius Pilate and the decisions he makes on the day a young prophet is put to death. Margarita is the author's lover, who supports him as he works.
This books is a translation from the original Russian, so it is difficult to assess the quality of the original writing, but this version is certainly easy to read and packed full of dream-like sequences. Will Self's introduction is interesting and a timely reminder that although the book was written in the 1940s, it was first published in the 1960s. And how well it fits into that decade of psychedelia, free love and creativity.
A puzzling book; a seriously weird one in many ways; but certainly an enjoyable read.
This books is a translation from the original Russian, so it is difficult to assess the quality of the original writing, but this version is certainly easy to read and packed full of dream-like sequences. Will Self's introduction is interesting and a timely reminder that although the book was written in the 1940s, it was first published in the 1960s. And how well it fits into that decade of psychedelia, free love and creativity.
A puzzling book; a seriously weird one in many ways; but certainly an enjoyable read.
December 30, 2020
I received a poster of 100 "ultimate" books. I already read about 25% of them before receiving the poster but since I am a very competitive person I want to try to read more of these 100 best books.
Unsurprisingly a few of them are "old classic". "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov is one of them. Since I struggled with Russian literature in the past, I decided to read the story as a graphic novel.
Reading the graphic novel, I knew I made the right choice. The story contains a lot of characters with Russian names (I know a very surprising fact for Russian literature) which were hard for me to remember, nevertheless to distinguish these characters. It really helped my understanding to have a picture to these names.
It is an complex story with a lot of interesting ideas (especially for the time it was written) but over all I wasn't hooked by the story.
For everyone wanting to read this story but being afraid of classic Russian literature, I can highly recommend this graphic novel.
Unsurprisingly a few of them are "old classic". "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov is one of them. Since I struggled with Russian literature in the past, I decided to read the story as a graphic novel.
Reading the graphic novel, I knew I made the right choice. The story contains a lot of characters with Russian names (I know a very surprising fact for Russian literature) which were hard for me to remember, nevertheless to distinguish these characters. It really helped my understanding to have a picture to these names.
It is an complex story with a lot of interesting ideas (especially for the time it was written) but over all I wasn't hooked by the story.
For everyone wanting to read this story but being afraid of classic Russian literature, I can highly recommend this graphic novel.
September 10, 2022
The last time I tried to read this classic, I struggled with the author's writing style. So when I saw this graphic novel adaption in the library, I picked it up on a whim. The illustrations are in a few different styles. At least one of which is fairly reminiscent of Picasso's work and the contrast between that and a bright Biblical style (the name of which, I know not) is interesting enough.
However, I think this story is just too complex to boil down into such a short novel. I definitely feel like I got the gist, but missed the point. Much of it was confusing. That said, having a sketchy familiarity with the plot, it's inspired me to give the original novel another try again.
However, I think this story is just too complex to boil down into such a short novel. I definitely feel like I got the gist, but missed the point. Much of it was confusing. That said, having a sketchy familiarity with the plot, it's inspired me to give the original novel another try again.
December 27, 2025
This graphic adaptation gives me a good idea of the plot of the original. But since the original is beloved by many, it must be for something more than just the plot, because there just isn't that much here.
May 13, 2018
Belíssima adaptação. Os quadrinhos são telas pintadas pelos artistas Klimowski e Schejbal, um casal de ingleses de ascendência polonesa. Ele pinta telas em preto e branco; ela, em cores. O trabalho é muito bonito e a adaptação mantém o humor, a tristeza, a mágica e a ironia de Bulgákov.
April 6, 2019
Che brutti disegni.
July 7, 2020
Meh.
A successful graphic adaptation of The Master and Margarita would be a thing of beauty, but this one fails. It's nothing more than an illustrated Cliffsnotes summary.
A successful graphic adaptation of The Master and Margarita would be a thing of beauty, but this one fails. It's nothing more than an illustrated Cliffsnotes summary.
March 7, 2025
What the.
April 7, 2019
Devo dare atto a queste poche pagine di aver riassunto e riportato abbastanza bene i tratti salienti della storia, anche se questo non è servito a farmi cambiare idea rispetto alle mie precedenti valutazioni sul romanzo (ho letto il libro appena a gennaio scorso, altrimenti non avrei capito più di tanto).
Per i disegni, saranno pure più che qualificati i grafici, ma... no comment. 🙀
✍️ Graphic Novel
📚 Biblioteca
Per i disegni, saranno pure più che qualificati i grafici, ma... no comment. 🙀
✍️ Graphic Novel
📚 Biblioteca
June 23, 2012
Read the graphic novel on the path toward the (hard) original novel (in translation). Saw a brilliant staged adaptation by Simon McBurney and Complicite in London in the spring that made me/us want to read Bulgakov's work.
February 4, 2015
The main problem with this book is that it isn't the Master and Margarita. Anything is pale and uninteresting in comparison!
See my review of M&M - or, better, read M&M to see what this book didn't have
See my review of M&M - or, better, read M&M to see what this book didn't have
January 18, 2021
I read this graphic novel adaptation of
The Master and Margarita:
while reading the actual novel -- both for the first time -- so the graphic novel served as a support, a way to preview and review the text itself, which is dense and, of course, has a few too many Russian names to easily keep track of.
I found the images to be striking. Two of my favorite moments:
When The Master first speaks to Margarita:
"No."
When Margarita finally meets Woland:
(I mean, Woland is pretty hot for a cartoon who is also Satan. Don't @ me.)
It's always interesting to see which moments graphic adaptations focus on and which they leave out. One of the key moments of the novel, imo, was when Matthew Levite "pleadingly" asks Woland to allow Margarita (the Master's disciple) to go and have peace with him, and Woland notes that Yeshua would never have thought of that if it weren't for the devotion of Matthew, his own disciple. We miss this from the adaptation. And then it ends with an image of The Master, asleep, with Margarita AND EVERYONE ELSE watching him while he sleeps, which honestly is kind of misleading. I mean, the whole point is that he and Margarita get to be at peace now. But whatever, I guess it's nice.
I found the images to be striking. Two of my favorite moments:
When The Master first speaks to Margarita:
"No."
When Margarita finally meets Woland:
(I mean, Woland is pretty hot for a cartoon who is also Satan. Don't @ me.)
It's always interesting to see which moments graphic adaptations focus on and which they leave out. One of the key moments of the novel, imo, was when Matthew Levite "pleadingly" asks Woland to allow Margarita (the Master's disciple) to go and have peace with him, and Woland notes that Yeshua would never have thought of that if it weren't for the devotion of Matthew, his own disciple. We miss this from the adaptation. And then it ends with an image of The Master, asleep, with Margarita AND EVERYONE ELSE watching him while he sleeps, which honestly is kind of misleading. I mean, the whole point is that he and Margarita get to be at peace now. But whatever, I guess it's nice.
November 15, 2019
2.75/5
I have mixed feelings about this adaptation.
I thought the art style was mostly suitable, although the choice to use black and white for the majority of the book makes some scenes a bit confusing. Since so much was cut from the original, some action passes with such quick pace that you might confuse what is going on, due to the lack of distinctiveness between characters. Overall though, I think the paintings evoke the mokd and time period quite well.
My biggest complaint is reserved for how condensed the story was, particularly the role of Woland's retinue. These characters are larger than life and jumped off the page without illustrations in the original. Here, they fall flat, particularly Behemoth, who is not once given a panel that appropriately references his gluttonous nature.
In general, the story whips by so fast that a lot of the richness from the original is wasted, particularly so, again, due to the choice to use a monochrome palette throughout. This should have really been twice the length.
An okay introduction to the chaos that Woland & Co. bring to Moscow in Bulgakov's masterpiece, but far from doing the source material justice.
I have mixed feelings about this adaptation.
I thought the art style was mostly suitable, although the choice to use black and white for the majority of the book makes some scenes a bit confusing. Since so much was cut from the original, some action passes with such quick pace that you might confuse what is going on, due to the lack of distinctiveness between characters. Overall though, I think the paintings evoke the mokd and time period quite well.
My biggest complaint is reserved for how condensed the story was, particularly the role of Woland's retinue. These characters are larger than life and jumped off the page without illustrations in the original. Here, they fall flat, particularly Behemoth, who is not once given a panel that appropriately references his gluttonous nature.
In general, the story whips by so fast that a lot of the richness from the original is wasted, particularly so, again, due to the choice to use a monochrome palette throughout. This should have really been twice the length.
An okay introduction to the chaos that Woland & Co. bring to Moscow in Bulgakov's masterpiece, but far from doing the source material justice.
March 22, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this. I wanted it to be a worthy visual companion to the book but it felt flat and soulless.
When I first saw it in the shop, I had a moment of excitement - a graphic novel of my favourite book! Doubt entered my mind and I became dubious that it would capture the essence and atmosphere that made the novel so special. Then excitment, again, to see how the novel would be visually interpreted. This graphic novel, however, failed to capture the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. It felt like a shell of the story, a synopsis without depth. I was sadly disappointed. But on a positive note, it did leave my itching to read the novel again and, hopefully, it'll entice others to read it as well.
I can't give it one star as it is a visually interesting read and thought and care have obviously gone into creating it. It could be a good resource to use to get a overview of the key aspects of the novel but I'd urge everyone to read it alongside the novel.
When I first saw it in the shop, I had a moment of excitement - a graphic novel of my favourite book! Doubt entered my mind and I became dubious that it would capture the essence and atmosphere that made the novel so special. Then excitment, again, to see how the novel would be visually interpreted. This graphic novel, however, failed to capture the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. It felt like a shell of the story, a synopsis without depth. I was sadly disappointed. But on a positive note, it did leave my itching to read the novel again and, hopefully, it'll entice others to read it as well.
I can't give it one star as it is a visually interesting read and thought and care have obviously gone into creating it. It could be a good resource to use to get a overview of the key aspects of the novel but I'd urge everyone to read it alongside the novel.
May 10, 2021
در سال ۱۹۲۸ نوشتن این کتاب اغاز شد و به دلیل خفقان سیاسی اتحادیه جماهیر شوروی در زمان حکومت استبدادی استالین، در طول زندگی نویسنده اجازه چاپ نگرفت و سال ها بعد از فوت نویسنده، به همت همسرش چاپ شد. داستان به صورت تمثیلی و کاملا در لفافه شرایط اجتماعی و سیاسی دوران را به تصویر میکشد؛ از جمله اختلاف طبقاتی شدید در جامعه به شکلی که مدیران و افراد در مسند قدرت رفاه فوق العاده ای داشته و سایر افراد در خانه هایی با اشپزخانه و امکانات اشتراکی زندگی میکردند، وجود جاسوس و خبرچینان حکومتی در بین مردم، عدم وجود ازادی های شخصی و بسیاری ویژگیهای دیگر حکومت های دیکتاتوری.
جریان داستان یک مقدار کند پیش میره. نسبت به زمان انتشار کتاب، واقعا ذهن خلاق و پویای نویسنده عجیب و قابل تحسین است. اما در مجموع، من به شخصه طرفدار آثار سوررئال نیستم.
جریان داستان یک مقدار کند پیش میره. نسبت به زمان انتشار کتاب، واقعا ذهن خلاق و پویای نویسنده عجیب و قابل تحسین است. اما در مجموع، من به شخصه طرفدار آثار سوررئال نیستم.
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