Buddy Read and Discussion for The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov - 2 month read!

[Theresa]

Welcome all to our June and July 2 month buddy read of Bulgakov's comic satire masterpiece! We'll keep the discussion going into August as long as anyone wants to join in.

So first of course, we all have to decide on which translation we are each going to read. Everyone is encouraged to pick whichever appeals to them. There is great controversy over the different ones, with super fans for each. Why? Well in part because this was a posthumous publication that the Soviets did not want to see the light of day, so they censored early editions heavily. The first translations that appeared in the west were thus based on that heavily censored edition. Eventually other uncensored editions were published, allowing more complete translations. Now it is arguing over whether the translation captures the essence of the book or is too literal.

Here is an article about the controversy over different translations and pros/cons of each: https://orangeraisin.wordpress.com/20...

And here is a very in depth discussion, but it is a serious spoiler so I am hiding it behind spoiler tags:
(view spoiler)[https://lithub.com/life-got-you-down-... (hide spoiler)]

Which am I reading? I own 2. Because I am shallow and easily seduced by a pretty cover, I am reading the 50th Anniversary edition of The Master and Margarita published in 2016: . It is one considered too faithful a translation, thus losing the humor and spirit. We will see.

I actually hope to read 2 different translations to do a comparison. I also own a copy of the one conseidered by many as the uncensored best translation: .

I hope quite sincerely we see a variety of translations read and discussed along with the book itself!

[NancyJ]

Count me in!

My library has your 2016 edition on order. The only other version they have is dated 1967 and could be falling apart by now! The translator isn't listed online, but it's probably the same as the 2016.

Warning - I discovered with another book (Count of Monte Cristo) that the kindle edition of a book isn't necessarily linked to the correct version of the book. I had a kindle with a different translation than the book it was linked to on Amazon's site.

[Theresa]

NancyJ wrote: "Count me in!

My library has your 2016 edition on order. The only other version they have is dated 1967 and could be falling apart by now! The translator isn't listed online, but it's probably the..."

No the 1967 edition, republished in 1995, has to be the controversial one based on the first censored publication. It is actually the one many consider as having captured the humor best. A friend of mine fell in love with it from that translation. Here is that cover: . Perhaps your library has the re-issue?

The 2016 is a new translation in honor of 50th Anniversary.

Whichever one you get, will be a rollicking ride!

Glad you are on board, NancyJ!

[Johanne]

Oh, this is so very tempting!
I have this Danish edition waiting for me on my book shelf

It's translated to Danish from 'the final and authoritative Russian version' according to the publisher.
Will June and July be the time I will get to this (fun and easy read, according to my husband) classic??

[Ellen]

Hello. I'm a major fan of this book and can't recommend it enough. I first read the censored, truncated Ginsburg version back in 1969. A few years later I read the Glenny translation. I'm planning a re-read of the Ginsburg, simply because it's the version that made me fall in love with the book. Then I'm going to read the Burgin/Tiernan-O'Connor version for comparison. Enjoy!

[Theresa]

Johanne wrote: "Oh, this is so very tempting!
I have this Danish edition waiting for me on my book shelf

It's translated to Danish from 'the final and authoritative Russi..."

Ooh, how cool!

[Theresa]

Ellen wrote: "Hello. I'm a major fan of this book and can't recommend it enough. I first read the censored, truncated Ginsburg version back in 1969. A few years later I read the Glenny translation. I'm planning ..."

Glad to see, Ellen, our dinner conversation last night was remembered and you joined! Discussions once started here tend to be lively.

I should mention that Ellen and I are longtime friends, always discussing books, and she is the reason I plan on reading The Master and Margarita as I had never heard of it until she talked about going to a signing and talk about the 50th Anniversary new translation. Ellen is also the reason my copy of the 2016 translation is autographed. Similar story to my reading last month The Leopard and it was her copy I read.

And Ellen was with me this spring when we saw an Off Off Broadway production of an adaptation by a local theater group run by a Russian emigré.

Ellen will be a terrific addition to the buddy read.

[Theresa]

Since last night I finished my June Trim book (which also fits retellings tag and June Horizons - a rare trifecta!), I started The Master and Margarita on my commute in. I'm still reading the Introduction by Peaver, one of the translators, and I'm finding it quite interesting as it fills in a lot of info about Bulgakov and the history of the book, Bulgakov's various versions written, and its delayed publication. This introduction and the Forward by author Boris Fishman are giving me some ideas about what informed this particular translation by Peaver/Volokhonsky.

It also claims to be a translation based on the most complete, unabridged Russian edition of the book. I of course will have no way to judge if that is true as I don't read Russian!

What I also want to comment on this early in the process is just what a wonderful print book this is to be reading! It's a paperback but a high-quality trade paperback with thick paper and sturdy cover where the flaps fold inside, providing further surface for the awesome art. The cover art is simply stunning, and fun! It also reminds me of literary books I've bought in France - with those uneven edges? Ferrer-Strauss publishes paperbacks with those kinds of page edges. For me, it is adding to the tactile and visual reading experience. It's like I know every time I pick it up that this is more high-brow than say an ordinary trade paperback.

I suggest always post the cover link for the edition you are reading and discussing in your posts as an easy way to identify who is reading which translations, as the covers are very distinct from each other.

[Idit]

Interesting - there’s exactly the same discussion with the Hebrew translation
There was very loved translation to the censored version It’s quite a popular book in Israel (maybe because of all the Russian immigrants, maybe because since everything has to be translated anyways, we don’t have abundance of English literature and European books were just as popular (while for you guys English literature is the obvious heritage)

In the 90s(?) a new translation came - and same story - it is the uncensored version.
The problem was that they felt the need to translate it all from scratch, so they couldn’t just leave beautiful passages as they were. So the new translation is fuller, but the old one has more soul and is just better.

I read the old one but hardly remember.
I might join you. Not sure with which. Maybe I’ll do the English newer version. Or the old Hebrew one

[Theresa]

Idit wrote: "Interesting - there’s exactly the same discussion with the Hebrew translation
There was very loved translation to the censored version It’s quite a popular book in Israel (maybe because of all the ..."

Fascinating! I have wondered ... and to some degree assumed ... that the same debate afflicting the English translations applies to any other translations. Why? Because everyone had the same censored and uncensored, and new uncensored, Russian editions from which to work.

I posted a link earlier in this thread to an article discussing the different English translations, The Hebrew versions sound very much like they reflect the same pattern as the English.

It is definitely one of the more interesting aspects of this particular book.

[Joy D]

I think I will be joining you for the buddy read. Just found a paperback Ginsberg version at a used bookstore. I've been looking for it for a while. I should be able to get to it after my monthly commitments are finished.

[Theresa]

Yay, Joy D! And what a great find!

[Meli]

I would like to join in but maybe not until later in June or July.
I read this last year for the magical surrealism tag, loved it, but did not read a good translation I don't think. It seems to be an obscure edition (not in a good I'm-gonna-make-money-off-this-book way) .... 1997 UK edition.

But I picked up this edition after my husband did some research for me and recommended it so I am excited to read it again.

Look forward to the discussions, this is a wild book!

[Meli]

After reading that article about the various translations - thank you! very helpful - it appears my UK edition isn't rare, or even that bad a translation as I assumed, just that particular cover seems to be kind of obscure.

It is also confirmed that my new edition (translation by Burgin and O'Connor) might be more fluid... but perhaps translated from an incomplete text(!?).

Based on the points in the article, it seems maybe I had a more complete text more loyal to the original than this new version!

Either way, I look forward to seeing if there is any difference in my reading experience the 2nd time around.

[Joy D]

I have started this book. I am going to need to take my time in order to internalize the ideas being presented . I am currently at chapter 5. So far, I think (view spoiler)[it may be beneficial to readers to be familiar with the story of Jesus from the New Testament, since the chapter on Pilate follows it loosely. Of course, I'm not too far in, so I don't know how much it pertains to the content to come. (hide spoiler)]

I'm reading the edition discussed up-thread, translated to English by Mirra Ginsburg:

[Theresa]

Well, I'm not progressing very far yet. I did start , read the intro and forward and whatever, even got into the very first section with Berlioz droning on to the poet-wanna-be, and then my brain just could not cope. Plus the time I have to read is extremely limited. I'm under a lot of work stress, very demanding long term project, and I was finding myself unable to take in anything I was reading that wasn't really light and basically familiar. I re-read a favorite Heyer - which took me a week rather than the usual 1 to 2 days. I'm now re-reading .

Never fear, I will return to it before too much longer! I figure Sense and Sensibility will put me back into a more literate frame of mind, and with 4th of July plus a short vacation the following week coming up, my brain will recover from work overload and I'll settle right down to it!

How is everyone else doing?

[Meli]

I committed to read Lolita, which I started, so I haven't started M&M yet. I am not sure I can fit it in :-O

Although, I just read it last year for "magical realism" tag so it is pretty fresh in my mind. Not as challenging as I expected and I thought it was hilarious fun.

[Joy D]

Once I got started on it, I kept reading and finished it yesterday. My sense is that it is a good idea to be familiar with some of the literature that influenced Bulgakov (Faust, the New Testament, and The Bacchae) as well as some history of Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. I wouldn't call it a retelling so much as a partial retelling of a number of texts (and I'm sure I'm missing a lot here). It was such a creative endeavor! It's too bad the author died before he could complete the final editing.

I will jump back into this thread to join the discussion once you all have a chance to get further into it.

I'll post a link to my review. I've tried to avoid spoilers. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov - 4 stars - My Review

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "Once I got started on it, I kept reading and finished it yesterday. My sense is that it is a good idea to be familiar with some of the literature that influenced Bulgakov (Faust, the New Testament,..."

I'm really looking forward to it - just have overwhelmed, fried brain given a difficult project or two at work!

I have read The Bacchae and the New Testament, but have not actually read the original Faust - but know the various opera versions and have read Thomas Mann's Dr. Faustus. Figure that's background enough. I also am familiar with composer Berlioz and his work Damnation of Faust which has a famous passage that has music recreating the sound of a head bouncing on the ground after a beheading....you know why I mention that :-) In fact, there are a lot of musical references in Bulgakov - which I have been finding quite amusing.

[Meli]

Unfortunately, there is no way I will be able to fit this in :(

I hope those that were able to read it found it as entertaining as I did.