A 50th-anniversary Deluxe Edition of the incomparable 20th-century masterpiece of satire and fantasy, in a newly revised version of the acclaimed Pevear and Volokhonsky translation Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita. One spring afternoon, the Devil, trailing fire and chaos in his wake, weaves himself out of the shadows and into Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov’s … into Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov’s fantastical, funny, and devastating satire of Soviet life combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem, each brimming with historical, imaginary, frightful, and wonderful characters. Written during the darkest days of Stalin’s reign, and finally published in 1966 and 1967, The Master and Margarita became a literary phenomenon, signaling artistic and spiritual freedom for Russians everywhere.
This newly revised translation, by the award-winning team of Pevear and Volokhonsky, is made from the complete and unabridged Russian text.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Difficult to wade through as it was just too disjointed. Writing lacked flow & there was too many illogical situations. I do not recommend it
Loved it…
This is one of the greatest books of fiction written over the past century. On the superficial level, the book describes Moscow being visited by the Devil. Ironically, the devil turns out to be one of the few individuals in the city who tells the truth.
The action takes place over a four-day period. It begins on a Wednesday as Berlioz, the chairman of a major literary association, meets Ivan, a poet, at the Patriarch’s Ponds in Moscow to discuss a poem that Ivan was supposed to write for a magazine. Berlioz wants the poem rewritten because, in his attack on the myth of Jesus, Ivan has presented Jesus realistically. As Berlioz explains that Jesus never existed, he is interrupted by a mysterious character, a man who assures him that Jesus was real. While Berlioz tries to protest, the man, a Professor Woland, begins to tell the story of Pontius Pilate.
When the story is over, Berlioz tries to find the authorities so that he can turn in Woland, who is suspected of being some type of spy. But before he goes, Woland tells Berlioz that his notion of having control over his own destiny is an illusion and that he cannot even know what he will do that evening. When Berlioz makes a comment about attending a meeting, Woland tells him that he is wrong; Anushka has already spilt the oil and Berlioz’s head would be cut off by a Komsomol girl before the evening is over.
Woland is correct. Berlioz is decapitated after he slips on spilt sunflower oil and falls under the wheels of a tram-car. Ivan remembers Woland’s prediction and tries to arrest him and his strange companions–a giant cat and a tall ‘choirmaster.’
Ivan’s chase is a strange one. He winds up taking off his clothes to search a river only to find that they have been stolen with the thief only leaving behind a Tolstoy blouse. His search takes him to Griboedov House, which was the place where Berlioz had led his literary association from. He is too upset to explain why he is in his underwear in a torn Tolstoy shirt and gets sent to a psychiatric hospital run by a doctor Stravinski. Woland had predicted that Ivan would be able to ask Stravinski what schizophrenia meant.
Woland confront’s Likhodeev, Berlioz’s roommate, who is the director of the Variety Theatre. He reminds Likhodeev that he has a contract to perform seven shows of black magic and shows him a contract with Likhodeev’s signature on it. Woland introduces Likhodeev to his routine – Behemoth, Korovyev, and Azazello and tells him that they will need his apartment. Moments later, Likhodeev winds up on a beach in Yalta, while all hell breaks loose in the running of the theatre and in the apartment building. Variety’s financial director notices that the director of the theatre has disappeared. The chairman of the building association is bribed to allow Woland to stay in the apartment with foreign currency. Telegrams from Yalta keep appearing. A red-headed naked vampire makes an appearance.
The show is a big hit. The Variety Theatre is full and the first action has Woland asking his cat to tear off the head of the MC who is interrupting the routine. After putting back his head and escorting the MC out, Woland shows the greed of the Moscow population by exchanging luxury clothing and jewellery for whatever the ladies are wearing. One bureaucrat wants to know how the trick works and is exposed as an adulterer. The public loves it and the show continues.
The action moves to the hospital where Ivan meets a patient that is staying in the room next to his. The patient is the novel’s hero, the master. Ivan tells him that he’s met the devil. The master tells his story to Ivan. He was an academic, a historian who wins hundred-thousand roubles in a lottery. He quit his job and writes a book about Jesus and Pilate. One day he meets Margarita and falls in love. His book is rejected and critics start to attack his ‘Pilatism’ in the press. The master burns his book and goes to the hospital.
Back at the Variety Theatre, the show ends and the ladies wind up naked in the street as the dresses disappear. The police come and try to control the madness. At the apartment building, the police arrest the president of the tenants association for having foreign currency.
Margarita makes her appearance about halfway through the novel. She is asked to host Satan’s Ball and as a reward is given a wish to be reunited with the Master. But things do not end there. As the Jesus plotline is resolved, Woland is asked to free the Master and Margarita. He agrees and gives them poisoned wine. They accompany him to see Pilate and wind up staying together but are denied entry to heaven.
The plot tells you nothing unless you read the book for yourself. I have read the novel several times and have yet to go through a reading without learning something new and finding yet another insight from Bulgakov. After having had a number of sessions with the text, I understand why the book has inspired filmmakers, rock and roll bands, classical musicians, poets, opera composers, graphic novelists, and other artists. It is difficult for anyone to read this book without being impacted by it. If you like good literature, a good adventure story, history, philosophy, and are interested in some religious debates, I suggest that you get this book as quickly as possible and read it a number of times. There is also a graphic novel, several TV series, a few films, an opera, ballet, and even a porn film of the book. After you read it, you will understand why.