The Master and Margarita
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Anyone else have the urge just to talk about this awesome book?
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Gregg
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rated it 5 stars
Apr 15, 2011 10:07PM
Yeah, pretty much what the title says. This is my favorite book and has been for some time. I have even read all of the English translations, but this one is my favorite. It flows the best to my American ear and has good notes. I have never laughed so hard in my life!
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It is one of the best Russian classics. It is the best Russian book of the 20th century. And I do not exaggerate. What is more, this book was truly a visionary book for many future books to come. It is surprisingly a postmodern book, though postmodernism actually is a today's buzz-word of literature and art. And I hope you really enjoyed the English translation, but I guess this is the case when I was truly blessed because Russian is my first language, and the book abounds in a number of cultural lacunae. I have never read an English version of this book, but you are absolutely right. It is truly an awesome book (I don't like the word, though - but these are just my personal connotations of this word caused by my residence in Arkansas)
And I bless Pontius Pilate's headache. Otherwise we would have been deprived of this wonderful story.
Have you read his Heart of a Dog? This is a hilarious, but also a very sad book about possible and impossible changes in a human nature. Bulgakov was a real literary genius.
I wish I knew Russian. I have studied years of Spanish, Japanese and Latin and just am not gifted in learning second languages. On the other hand I have found some joy in reading the different translations of my favorite works. It can be very interesting to me to see the works through the different lenses different translators provide. I must add that I took a Russian Revolution Literature course solely because of my experience with this book and they were reading it. About half the class was native speakers of Russian and something that I will always feel lucky to have experienced (being a non-Russian speaker) is reading poetry translations while a native speaker read them aloud. I will never read translated poetry again without a native speaker around!
I have heard of Heart of a Dog, but have had trouble finding a good translation. The translators I found, I either was unsatisfied with their other translations or are unfamiliar with/were not recommended. I guess I should try them all, though!
I apologize for my "awesome" word choice. It was late, I had just found and signed up for this site and I was just thinking- someone must enjoy talking about this novel as much as I do; and I am from Southern California.
Zulfiya wrote: "Have you read his Heart of a Dog? This is a hilarious, but also a very sad book about possible and impossible changes in a human nature. Bulgakov was a real literary genius."Heart of a Dog is a brilliant read. The story is absurd, but the tone is so serious - a truly difficult thing to achieve and Bulgakov does it masterfully. It's the same skill he puts to work in the Master and Margarita, but it's less surreal. And I think the allegorical themes (i.e. the contempt Bulgakov had for the communist regime) is more evident in Heart of a Dog.
But, yes, the Master and Margarita is an amazing book. I've read it twice and it has come to life in different ways for me. The first time I read it I feel in love with Margarita and the second time I was completely absorbed by the story of Jesus and Pontius Pilate. I imagine I'll be reading this book for a lifetime and it will still keep giving.
Bulgakov is my all time favorite writer. Master and Margarita is an amazing book.I've also read Heart of a Dog and The Fatal Eggs, great stories; The White Guard and A Dead's Man Memoir are still waiting on my shelf, has anyone read them??
The Master and Margarita is one of my all time favorites, dark and hilarious, a very rich read...I learned about it through my older sister, she brought it home from college (early 1970's, I was in elementary school). I loved the cover of Behemoth holding the pistol...naturally, I was much too young to read the novel at that time, so I made up my own story about the cat (but I forget how it went), I finally read it when I was in high school, and have read the Mirra Ginsburg translation multiple times since. I’ll have to buy this new translation. A copy of Heart of a Dog is waiting in my To Be Read pile!
One of the things that I love about The Master and Margarita and also one of my frustrations is how different it is from anything else I have ever read. Does anyone have a recommendation that they feel has similar satire, storytelling and great characters?Oh, and Laura, the Ginsburg translation is often discussed as using an incomplete, censored version of the novel. It will be interesting to hear about when you read a different translation.
Gregg wrote: "I wish I knew Russian. I have studied years of Spanish, Japanese and Latin and just am not gifted in learning second languages. On the other hand I have found some joy in reading the different tr..."I am sorry if I sounded snobbish:-) And there is definitely nothing wrong about the word 'Awesome', but you know, AR 'enjoys' the reputation of being the most intellectually advanced state in the USA (You know what I mean). Anyway, my husband majored in Russian history and international relations, but hardly knows a dozen of Russian words, and he has a Russian wife:-)
I majored in ESL (English as a Second Language and English Philology) and even work as an instructor in a local college being a native Russian speaker.Lol
Anyway literature has always been the love of my life, and I really appreciate people who read books about Russia and books written by Russian authors. It is truly amazing that you took the course just because the book fascinated you, but I have all the reasons to believe that the book itself is so great, so complex, and at the same time so powerful in its alleged simplicity of the message that it can motivate people to do wondrous things. Though I bet Futurists and other revolutionary poets were hardly as inspirational as the book we are discussing.
What do you think is the key setting for the novel - the Jerusalem of Pontius Pilate, the post-revolutionary Moscow with its literary bureaucracy and oppressions , or the wonderful love story with Margarita's indefatigable commitment?
I can never forget this book. When my wife and I starting going out together in the mid eighties, this was the second book she introduced me to as a way of revealing what she enjoyed reading. It too made a lasting impact!
Gregg, I can recommend "Freddy's Book" by John Gardner as being a similar read.
Gregg wrote: "One of the things that I love about The Master and Margarita and also one of my frustrations is how different it is from anything else I have ever read. Does anyone have a recommendation that they..."I don't know of an other book like it. But, I would say that Gunter Grass' The Tin Drum comes close enough. It certainly has the combination of unique storytelling, great characters and a slight sense of the surreal because of the way the story is told through the eyes of the main character Oskar. It really humanises the horror of the Nazi regime in a unique way.
Zulfiya wrote: "What do you think is the key setting for the novel - the Jerusalem of Pontius Pilate, the post-revolutionary Moscow with its literary bureaucracy and oppressions , or the wonderful love story with Margarita's indefatigable commitment?"
Gun to my head, I'd have to say post-revolutionary Moscow is the key setting. Obviously there's the implicit critique of the communist regime contained in those parts of the narrative occurring in Moscow. But I also think it sets the tone for the moral ambiguity and chaos of the whole novel. But, if I had a choice I would not emphasise one particular setting, unless you were interested in a particular aspect of the novel (e.g. its autobiographical elements, as an allegorical novel, etc. etc.). I suppose this is its beauty.
I'll have to take a look at some of those recommendations, thanks. As for the discussion on setting, I don't know how the novel would work without the three woven together. I would say that Moscow was my favorite setting and story, but it is the combination that really sets this story apart from the rest. I appreciate the wholeness, but I definitely have to reread for the laughs- mostly in Moscow. One minor scene that really struck me and I feel like I can envision it perfectly realistically and absurd at the same time in my head is when Korovyov and Behemoth are trying to enter the restaurant near the end.
"Skabichesky, squeaked the latter, pointing at his primus stove for some reason."
Maybe it is just me, but I can totally imagine someone pointing at a random object as they try to make a point while someone else is trying their hardest to take them seriously. Hehe, I am laughing now, but again, maybe it is just me.
gregg - i too enjoyed this book very much. I first read it 25 years ago and it is due another re-read. I certainly agree with the recommendation of the tin drum as being similaryou could also try Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
you could also try Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Catch-22 is one of the best books of its type. And I think, Ray, you are right - it is very close to Master and Margarita. It has the same merciless satire and irony, but also it is so sad and sincere in some of its parts. I feel sorry for Yossarian - he is the only semi-normal guy, but who can stay normal during the military campaign?!. Any war numbs your mind and perception of reality
Gregg wrote: "One of the things that I love about The Master and Margarita and also one of my frustrations is how different it is from anything else I have ever read. Does anyone have a recommendation that they..."You must read Haruki Murakami. The satire in his books is much more subtle and directed at Japanese culture as opposed to any political ideology, but where Murakami really excels is his characters and storytelling. At this point I'm going to take a wild guess (or maybe not so wild) and assume that your frustration (at not being able to find anything similar) lies in Bulgakovs seamless ability to blend the 'normal' with the surreal, and also in a way that doesn't leave you feeling like your reading 'just some scifi/fantasy'.
After reading Murakami this was my problem, and The Master and Margarita is (so far) the only answer to it I've found.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is my personal favorite, though if my assumption was correct you will probably like most/all his books except possibly Norwegian Wood which is more of a 'straight' novel.
I've heard good things about Murakami, but haven't read him yet. His other famous books did not sound appealing to me plotwise, but the one you recommend might be a good place for me to start. It will also be interesting to see the satire you describe as being directed at Japanese culture since I am Japanese-American.I am not sure I can even describe what part of Bulgakov touched me the most. I suppose his characters who think a lot like me and are able to dole out punishments to characters which I would consider immoral are part of it. Perhaps blending the surreal with specific mannerisms and scenes that I experience regularly is part of it, too. It just astounds me how he can take a different time and place and yet relate to me so effectively. I couldn't believe it when Behemoth was arguing that the streetcar driver was the worst occupation- I was just thinking the same thing about bus drivers as I was riding the bus and reading The Master and Margarita!
Welcome to read my humble review of The Master and Margarita - critique is tolerated.Alex
Laura wrote: "The Master and Margarita is one of my all time favorites, dark and hilarious, a very rich read...I learned about it through my older sister, she brought it home from college (early 1970's, I was in..."Oh, I agree! I loved loved loved this book. It's so rich and rewarding. One of the few that I'll read and reread and reread. New ideas every time!
Alex wrote: "Welcome to read my humble review of The Master and Margarita - critique is tolerated.Alex"
You completely left out his amazing characters and the hilariousness of the book that spills out of you in uncontrollable laughter!
Gregg wrote: "Alex wrote: "Welcome to read my humble review of The Master and Margarita - critique is tolerated.Alex"
You completely left out his amazing characters and the hilariousness of the book that spil..."
Totally with you, Gregg. And Pontius Pilate's mental torments and languid pain of guilt and repent. And what about Margarita's second nature - she turned into a wonderful, liberated, new witch/woman?
I did not mean to be comprehensive.I only concentrated on the essence, on what was mostly
important for Bulgakov and not on the "secondary" "surface" issues, which are obvious and usually well understood. He did not write this piece for the entertainment purposes. It was not even purposed as a satire (compare with Mikhail Zoshchenko), though of course it has brilliant elements of fantasy, humor and satire.
Cheers,
Alex
PS I am (for my own safety) trying to stay away from anything connected to the issue of female liberation ;-)
Alex, how do you know what was important for Bulgakov? Reading together with interpretation is a deeply personal experience, so you highlighted what was important for you, and Gregg and I expressed our point of view. You said that you would welcome the opinion. And if the book is based on the Judo - Christian tradition then the idea of redemption and salvation is of the prime value. I personally think that Jeshua (Jesus) is shown as a travelling preacher, not the Son of God. Besides Satan is a deeply tragic figure who has a heart in the right place and finds a nook in the Universe both for Master and for Pilate (otherwise they would be rejected by God). Is there God in the novel? Mmmmmm, hard to say. Satan is definitely omnipotent and omniscient. Correct me if I am wrong, but the Church has always ascribed those qualities to God. Then would you mind if I repeat the Gorky's rhetorical question 'Has there ever been a boy (a god )? Maybe there has never been a boy (a god)'
Dear Zulfiya,Yes, discussion is always welcome and everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.
And yes I did not talk to Bulgakov, so interpretation is mine ... but I tried to make sense of what I read.
I think that Bulgakov has seen Soviet Russia as the kingdom of Satan, beyond salvation.
That is why in my opinion already stated in my review, he compares life in USSR with the evil (in Bulgakov's mind - as I see his vision) of conviction and crucifixion of Christ.
>I personally think that Jeshua (Jesus) is shown as
>a traveling preacher, not the Son of God.
I personally agree with you that, in my opinion, that is what Christ was (a traveling preacher) ... and I would hope to think that Christ has seen him self that way too (not as a Son of God but as a sectarian Jewish rabbi ... ).
However it is not altogether clear whether Christ himself (beyond, as we all agreed, I think, NOT to be a Son of God - he was proclaimed to be that way later after his death - by his Apostles and other supporters) clearly claimed to be the King of Jews and Messiah ... and it is not clear to me what was Bulgakov's position on that IN THIS BOOK ...
However assuming that Bulgakov in his personal life was loyal Russian Orthodox Christian - then he truly believed in all that (that Christ is Son of God, King of Jews and Messiah ... and that he was resurrected and reunited on the *skies* with God-Father and Holy Spirit ;-) ).
I know that religious issues are the ones which divide people and I wish that I would not need to touch on those in this discussion.
I definitely do not want to offend anyone's religious convictions and feelings in here.
However the context/content of this book does not give me the choice to avoid this sensitive subject.
Cheers,
Alex
Goethe said, "to truly understand a writer, one must visit his (her) home." Visiting Bulgakov's home/museum in Kiev is an experience I shall always treasure. The docent personally takes you on a tour which includes the history of Bulgakov and his literature in the setting in which he lived and wrote. It provides a deep sense of the writer and his times.
>Visiting Bulgakov's home/museum in Kiev is an >experience I shall always treasure.I would presume Bulgakov's home/museum in Kiev would be mostly associated with "White Guard" and not with "Master and Margarita" ?
In my opinion this book is the most important Russian literary work of the 20th Century. Yes, there are very specific Soviet references which aid in understanding the novel, but the same thing is true of the cultural references made in Dostoevsky, Dickens, Irving and so on. Great literature is great because of the universal truths, and M&M contains many. I, too, consider this book to be my all time favorite. I had to read it in college, incidentally, at Middlebury... and in 20 years no book has ever displaced it.
I will always remember when I reading this book, which was about ten years ago, I brought it to work and one of my bosses took one look at the title, shook his head, and told me he didn't even want to know what THAT was about.
Zulfiya wrote: "Alex, how do you know what was important for Bulgakov? Reading together with interpretation is a deeply personal experience, so you highlighted what was important for you, and Gregg and I expressed..."I just want to clear one thing for people who try to interpit this book by saying "Bulgakov ment this. Or Bulgakov thought that". We don't know exactly what Bugakov wanted to say because we are not reading his finished work. He wrote and revised Master i Margarita for a number of years and he died before he was able to create the final version. His wife found his notes and put them together into what we are reading today. So even the order of the chapters is under question. This doesn't make this book any less fasanating, but it does mean that Bulgakov's true vision is not reflected on those pages.
This book is a work of a genius, all time favourite of mine and I would have to add that my growing up in a communist country makes up for not being able to read it in Russian. I feel I know what Bulgakov meant.
Bulgakov is mine favorite author along with Strugacki brothers, and Master and Margarita is THE book.
Scott wrote: "In my opinion this book is the most important Russian literary work of the 20th Century. Yes, there are very specific Soviet references which aid in understanding the novel, but the same thing ..."I'm 66 and just read this book a few months ago. I absolutely loved it and thought it was one of the greatest books ever. I was an English Lit. major in college, so, of course, we only read English Literature. I did my obligatory reading of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky on my own after graduating. I'd heard the title mentioned over the years, but never got around to it until a good friend on Goodreads was kinfd enough to send me a copy. There was and still is always something to read, so I just never got around to it, and, of course, now, i really want to read it again. The best books need and deserve to be read more than once. I dream of Margarita's ride on the broomstick and her circling about the high rise apartment transforming the plumbing and basically, "wrecking the joint."
I bought this book based on five words a complete stranger who i had never met before and have never seen since said to me the day before i found the book in a shop. They simply said "Master and Margarita is great." and waved a copy in front of my eyes. I wish i knew who this stranger was so i could thank them. It is one of only about five or six books i would consider giving five stars to so far in my life, an absolute treasure.
Sam wrote: "I bought this book based on five words a complete stranger who i had never met before and have never seen since said to me the day before i found the book in a shop. They simply said "Master and Ma..."I don't know that my 5 star list is quite as few as yours, Sam, but "The Master and Margarita" would certainly be on it. Somehow I never got to it until recently in my 60's, but it was a case of better late than never. I want to read some of what I am sure is an extensive body of scholarship on the book and read it again. All the very best books are even better on subsequent readings. I've found it that way with Homer, Victor Hugo, Tolkien, and many others. The best books serve up an equal or greater dose of joy on subsequent readings. I know it will be the same with "The Master and Margarita."
Robert wrote: "Sam wrote: "I bought this book based on five words a complete stranger who i had never met before and have never seen since said to me the day before i found the book in a shop. They simply said "M..."It prompted me to read all of Bulgakov, his other books are certainly worth checking out. The Fatal Eggs, Heart of a Dog and Black Snow and particularly good. The only one i wasn't so keen on was The White Guard.
Sam wrote: "Robert wrote: "Sam wrote: "I bought this book based on five words a complete stranger who i had never met before and have never seen since said to me the day before i found the book in a shop. They..."Thanks for the heads up on the other titles by Bulgakov.
B
one of my 5 star ratings too. Possibly the best book i've ever read.......possibly :)
Sam wrote: "I bought this book based on five words a complete stranger who i had never met before and have never seen since said to me the day before i found the book in a shop. They simply said "Master and Ma..."I do that. I go around bookstores and tell complete strangers about The Master and Margarita. I also had to seek out Bulgakov's other works. Of course none came close to M&M, but as a history buff the fatal eggs is awesome!
one day i met a man with an accordion and his tall friend told me to read it. ever since i have never been without a copy at my side. nothing i have ever read or will ever read can touch it.
I wanted to resurrect my old thread, not just because, but to give a meaningful update. @Laura- I read Freddy's Book and although it was well-written, it did not touch me in any way. I just wasn't into the characters nor the writing.
@Bernard- I read The Tin Drum until it got stolen with the rest of my car. I enjoyed the writing and satire, but never identified with the characters and wished there was more obvious humor like Bulgakov.
@Ray- Have not gotten to Cat and Mouse or Catch-22, but I will.
@Gary- I am most of the way through the Wind Up Bird Chronicle and am enjoying very much. I definitely see myself reading more Murakami. I am still on the lookout for something that draws the laughter out of me like Bulgakov, though.
An amazing book, Bulgakov was far ahead of his time, this book was started in 1928, then burned, then restarted in 1931 and written four more times, eventually he stopped writing four weeks before his death in 1940, leaving the book slightly unfinished.There are numerous translations of this book and it is vital that you read a decent translation, most people, including myself believe that the Burgin/Tiernan and O'Connor translation to be the best and the most accurate and complete English translation.
It takes a while to get used to the cultural references, like the formal and informal use of the characters names, but once you get past that, you have a truly great book in your hands.
Really this is two books in one, both stories have very different styles and the novel alternates between two settings.
The first is 1930s Moscow, Satan appears in the shape of Professor Woland, a mysterious gentleman "magician" of uncertain origin. With him a number of equally enjoyable characters, the badly dressed and "wall eyed" valet Koroviev and the amazing laugh out loud, mischievous, gun-happy, fast-talking, four foot tall, black cat Behemoth, the fanged hitman Azazello, the pale-faced Abadonna and the witch Hella, where they bewitch, befriend, send people to the asylum and generally create chaos around Moscow.
The book within the book is set in the Jerusalem of Pontius Pilate, and concerns Pontius Pilate's trial of Yeshua Ha-Notsri, his recognition of an affinity with and spiritual need for Jesus, and his reluctant but resigned submission to Jesus's execution.
For me, this story is in stark contrast to the main story, it is intense in its detail and depiction of Jesus's last days, although not historically correct The real Pontius Pilate was the prefect of Judaea, not the procurator and The Master's version of Jesus describes himself as an orphan, denies doing miracles, but cures the Pilates crippling headaches. he apparently has only one full-time "Apostle", not twelve, among other departures from mainstream Christian tradition.
It is still an honest if somewhat atheist look at the son of god, a story told by Satan himself.
Along with Heart of a dog, this is one of my all time favourite books, a magical,dangerous, funny, romantic, honest book.
This book and The Alexandria Quartet by Durrell are my favorite all-time reads...
I liked the tight entanglement between realism and magic so much that I plugged Bulgakov in the first pages of my debut novel The Sword of Agrippa: Antioch, which connects future with ancient past.
please to meet you, hope you guessed my name......
I think of this as a 'time-capsule' book -- Bulgakov was writing in a time of heavy censorship, and I think he thought a lot about the FUTURE readers who may come across this book in a society that perhaps is more open... because so many ideas were banned, they may not make it in full to a future readership, so I feel like Bulgakov sneaks in certain things, writes these stories, meaning to peak your interest so that you may look into it more... imagine if you are reading this in the context of a society that did not allow you to practise religion in the past, so you had no access or knowledge to Biblical stories... but if you read this book, surely your interest would be peaked and you would want to read more about it, even though perhaps your societies literary culture on this topic had been destroyed, you would seek it out... So even though it's not direct tales or teachings, it helps carry some religion forward.I think this is in part the brilliance of this novel. :)
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