The Master and Margarita

A Window Into Our Souls ? Maybe !

About four years, ago I had met a person who is from Russia. We have a common interest in our family's sports. In a conversation one day on good, evil and the temptations that try men's souls; he recommended I read "The Master and Margarita." The first two chapters locked me in. The setting of Pontius Pilate in a private conversation with Christ prior to his execution, was a concept never presented to me before. I would like to believe that such an event occurred. I enjoyed the transitioning in time through out the book. Reading Bulgakov's book has only cemented my thoughts that Hell is real and it exists in our minds. I was surprised at the way Bulgakov presented the Devil (the character Woland). Controlled, not "fire-breathing", an individual with total confidence in his agenda; collecting souls. What I noticed in most of the encounters was the always present "option" presented by Woland through his underlings; to do the right thing or follow the temptation.
I felt no compassion for Margarita. I feel that Margarita and The Master ended up as they were from the beginning; lost souls.
My high point of the book was in the final chapters when Levi delivered Woland(The Devil) the order from Christ on Margarita and The Master. Even the Devil must answer to someone. Good does win out over evil.
This was the first time I ever reviewed a book. I hope you enjoy this book. Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Best Translation

I was born and raised in Russian-speaking country. I love and adore Master and Margarita. But when it came to recommending that read to my American friends it was tough. That is until i opened that one. Take it from a person who speaks both languages, this IS the best translation out there.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Best Translation Yet!

This is the fourth translation of this absolute masterpiece that I have read. Short of being able to read it in Russian, I have found the perfect translation. Having read the Ginsburg, Tiernen & O'Conner and Glenny translation, this unabridged version is undoubtedly the best. The characters in Woland's retinue are more lively and you get true understanding of each of their personalities. Their notes guide you through the times and names and history which give you a more complete comprehension of the darkest reign of Stalin and Moscow life. The interwoven tales of ancient Jerusalem, comtemporary moscow, and a love story have truly made this novel the ultimate masterpiece. I recommend the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation to appreciate this novel at the highest level.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Devil & friends visit Moscow!

Great classic novel. I wasn't 100% sure that I would like or enjoy reading this at all, I was wrong~

Getting used to all the "three-barreled Russian names" as other reviewers have stated, is probably the trickiest part of this classic novel!

The author calls characters by their 1st name, then later refers to the same character by his middle and last name, a little confusing at times!

This book has two parts, Part 1 is 168 pages, Part 2 is around 140 pages. Part 1 for me was a little boring, with the exception of the chapter "Black Magic and Its Exposure".

Part 2 is where the book really picks up and turns into a real page turner! "Satan's Great Ball" is arguably the best chapter in the book!

This book has several really, really memorable characters-

Satan, called Woland in the book

Behemoth a mischievous, gun-happy, fast-talking, chess playing, black cat the size of a hog (a very likeable cat and the best character in the book by far)

A great classic novel!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Absolutely One of a Kind

This extraordinary and unique book opens in 1930s Moscow during the darkest period of Stalin's repressive reign. Near Patriarch Ponds, two writers sit on a bench engaged in a discussion regarding the nature of Jesus. True to their times, both writers devoutly discount his existence. As their discourse continues, they are joined by a third man, a well-dressed stranger who claims not only to believe in the existence of the historical Jesus, but to have actually been present at Jesus's trial and crucifixion. Unbeknownst to the two writers, this stranger is none other than Satan, himself, who is now calling himself Woland. The next chapter takes us to Yershalaim (Jerusalem) and Pontius Pilate's interrogation of Yeshua Ha-Nozri (Jesus). Much to Pilate's dismay, Yeshua freely admits to all of the charges brought against him. Pilate, although finding himself captivated by Yeshua and desiring to free him, has no choice but to order his execution instead. Yeshua is sentenced to death and crucified and Pilate grows more and more disturbed. Back in Moscow, things have taken a bizarre turn. When Woland's prediction of the death of the writer Berlioz turns out to be true, another writer, Ivan the Homeless is unceremoniously carted off to an asylum and the esteemed Dr. Stravinsky. As heads roll and people are driven mad, Ivan meets his neighbor in the asylum, one known only as The Master. The Master, also a writer, has been working on a novel centering on Pontius Pilate and the story, not coincidentally, is more than similar to Woland's eyewitness version. Ivan also learns of The Master's love for the beautiful Margarita with whom he shared both an apartment and an affair until the rejection of his novel drove him insane. Margarita, meanwhile, is living in a loveless marriage and spends her days pining away for her lost Master, knowing nothing of his whereabouts. The story then moves back to Yershalaim and Pilate's struggle to come to terms with the death of Yeshua. He is visited by Matthew Levi and subsequently orders the death of Judas of Kiriath (Judas Iscariot) for his betryal of Yeshua. Moving back to Moscow again, we learn the reason for Woland's visit. He wants to give a Grand Ball and is in search of a hostess--a hostess named Margarita. Margarita instantly agrees and the Grand Ball proceeds, apparently lasting for hours and hours with the guests having been chosen from among the most sinful and corrupt of all the deceased. With the dawning of the new day, Woland, who is pleased with Margarita's performance, tells her he will grant her her fondest wish. Of course, that wish is to be reunited with The Master. How this request is accomplished is one of the most extremely inventive passages in all of literature and involves not only Woland, but his wily accomplices (Azazello and Behemoth), Matthew Levi and Pilate, himself. Suffice it to say, all turns out well for all intended and The Master and Margarita eventually come to reside together for all time. In The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov has created, not only a technical masterpiece of flawless writing, but also one of immense creativity, making use of innuendo, iconography, metaphor and satire. This is a multi-layed book, encompassing many themes, drawn with a painstaking commitment to detail. Although, at first glance, the two concurrently running stories seem to bear no relation to each other, a closer examination shows us just how creative Bulgalov was and how great was his genius. As the story of Yeshua and The Master are occurring nearly two thousand years apart, it would seem, on the surface, impossible to link them. Bulgakov, however, forgets this span of years and tells the story by the day and the hour instead. As the Easter weekend unfolds, so do his stories, just as though they were occurring each at the same time but in different locations. Bulgakov did not intend for the story of Yeshua to be of historical significance. Instead, it is used as a device to further the sa

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Master and Margarita is truly one of the great novels of the

The Master and Margarita is truly one of the great novels of the 20th century. Hilarious, lyrical, insightful, and profound; Bulgakov's masterpiece will make you think, make you feel, and make you challenge yourself and your beliefs on good and evil. This page is a little confusing (at one point saying this is the Burgin/O'Connor translation, at another saying it's the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation), so I'll mention that this review refers to the Burgin/O'Connor translation. I've read this translation twice, and I love it. I can't compare it to other translations though, as I haven't read any. I plan on reading the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation soon; I've read several translations by them, and all have been wonderful. One caveat about the Burgin/O'Connor edition: the endnotes, written by Bulgakov's biographer Ellendea Proffer, offer far too much opinion. She should be telling us how to think, and how to feel about this novel. But that doesn't spoil this awe-inspiring novel.

My all time favorite!

Read it many times in Polish and looking forward to reading it in English for the first time. Thanks B&N for having it!

An Excellent Translation of an Excellent Book

I have read several translations and the original of Master and Margarita, in addition to translating a chapter for personal use. This one is the best.

When one reads this translation, it is easy to understand what makes M&M the favorite book of so many Russian-speakers. The prose is simple, yet elegant, full of beautiful irony. This translation keeps endnotes only when they are necessary (in contrast to the Pevear & Volokhonsky version, which eagerly explains every minor reference).

The other translation commonly recommended is the Mirra Ginsburg, which has lovely descriptive prose. However, I feel that translation lacks the humor that is so essential to Bulgakov's work. The dialogues in the Burgin and O'Connor seem more natural, less contrived, and full of wit and humor. Overall, this is an excellent translation.

Strange read...magical realism?

I think if the reader can get through the first 100 pages you'll be ok. I do not see that it is the greatest Russian book of the 20th cent. There are good descriptons of characters and relationships. Bulgakov had issues with the USSR and that may have been because he joined the Whites the conservative reactionary anti-communist pro-tsarist side of the civil war. So of course he was going to get some flak. Thank you.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Magical and Russian

You are probably thinking "Russian Novel" means a book filled with tragic character and intransigent fatalism. If so, this book will surprise you. It is lyrical, winding you up in a fantastic world of devils and seductresses. It is filled with religious symbolism and has enough literary clout to support literary enthusiasts from book clubs to English masters but it is also engrossing, hard to put down and unlike any other book you have ever read. Go to it with an open mind and eager heart and you won't be disappointed.

Fantastic read

Friends that I recommend this book to ask me what it's about, and all I can tell them is: everything! It spans a range of subjects, and is an absolutely delightful read.

This is...

the best masterpiece of 20-th century.

A Russian Masterpiece

Bugakov manages to pull off a work so meaningful that it has become a part of everyday Russian speech. In its moving and comic scenes, he shows where the evil of man truly originates, and how little control humans exert over their lives despite any illusion that depicts the opposite. The intellectual girth can be measured in the same scale as the works of Dostoevsky, making this a work so profound that it inspires sympathy for the most unlikely of targets. This is truly one of the best stories to be told by a Russian author.

Simply Wonderful!

I cannot even BEGIN to describe how much I LOVE this book! It has now become one of my favorites! The first part of the book is a little strange, as it seems to only tell stories of people meeting with a supernatural phenomenon. And yet, throughout all of this, there is still a pattern to be held that keeps you hooked. The second part of the book brings these seemingly miscellaneous characters together, as you realize what must be given for one to be truly happy. I loved it all the way through! DEFINITELY a must-read!!!

Satan the Not So Bad Guy

Satan is one of the main forces in this book, even if, as a character, he doesn't feature as often as the others of his entourage. Still, the characters are delightful in their wickedness, but they aren't evil. Philosophically delightful, Satan and his crazy, hilarious minions are part of the great scheme of things, at odds with Heaven, but simply because that seems to be their function in some ways. They don't act all that badly, and they seem to punish people, when they do, out of sheer fun, or because the person warrants it. And that is how the first half of the book goes: Satan and his retinue wreaking havoc through Moscow, killing people, making them disappear, driving them insane. And then the real hero comes in, and it becomes a sort of love story. Interwoven with the main tale are a few chapters that detail the days of Pilate after he sends Christ off to die on the cross. And, in the end, Satan and Co. play a much more interesting role than simply punishers and tormentors.
It's a lovely little tale, and the end is, for once, a true pay-off.

Complex, entertaining, frustrating but a good read

The novel reminds me of the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was immensely entertaining, but I lack the knowledge and perspective of the historian; I guess I need to know more about Stalinist Russia to appreciate the novel. I'm glad I read it though. It is one of those books that could be read several times and has many levels to it.

A cleverly shrouded satire on Stalin's Soviet Union

The Master and Margarita is a funny, surreal take on 1930s Soviet life. Believe me when I say surreal, I mean it. Along with Satan, his talking human-like cat and other bizarre sidekicks, there are witches, mental patients, and quite a few imaginary and strange happenings. Satan goes on a series of terrible crimes upon entering Moscow and much of the novel seems to be his almost pointless transgressions against the humanity of the people there. The plot consists of several different stories that come together nicely near the end of the novel. It's strange, however, how the title characters aren't even mentioned until well over a hundred pages into the novel, and not nearly enough time is devoted to them. The majority of the novel, as I said, is devoted to watching the Devil as he goes about destroying people's lives. Though this is entertaining at the beginning, by the end of the novel, his and his henchman's antics become excruciatingly boring. There are flashbacks to Jesus's interaction with Pontius Pilate and crucifixion which are very good and important to the meaning of the novel as a whole. After finishing the book I find that its greatest moment comes from a conversation between the Master and the poet Ivan Homeless in a mental asylum. Though the book has many strong and encoded messages on Soviet life and humanity, an excellent ending, and funny characters; the passage of Ivan Homeless and the Master meeting for the first time is by far the most aesthetically beautiful in the book.
Overall a very good book, though not the masterpiece as many would have you believe it is.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A piece of literary genius...

Even the most complementary words would not do justice to Bulgakov¿s creation. A work of a true genius, which puts Bulgakov among such Russian greats as Lomonosov, Pushkin, Mendeleev, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. As I read the reviews, I realized that I was not the only person who read this book multiple times, each time finding it to be different, but inevitably brilliant. It is always gripping, dramatic, funny, full of irresistible characters, scary at times, but always hopeful. To me, it¿s also always been a book about Moscow, as the city is one of the key characters in the book. In my view, this translation is the best one to date. It captures Bulgakov¿s unique literary sonorities, and peculiar details of the 1930s Soviet Union. Highly recommend.

As good as it gets.

Kept me interested from the first page to the last! I had heard this one recommended by Henry Rollins and figured I should try it. This story progressively gets better to the last. Any fan of satire and the mysteriously strange would enjoy this classic. Set in 1920 Russia, it was slightly difficult to follow, but worth it. Strongly recommended.

Russian literature at its best

My friend recommended this book to me, and what actually made me to buy it was because he considered it his favorite book of all time. I agree with him about that. It is an amazing book. Not only that, I developed an interest in the author¿s other works. Nevertheless, this is the best book written by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is an absolute masterpiece, a classic accepted in Russia and the rest of the world.