|
| |||||||||||
What are readers saying about The Master and Margarita?
|
Gregory posted a review at 2009-01-19 04:47:01.
(Language: English)
  
Bulgakov's chaotic masterpiece may have nothing to offer in terms of structure, but as a testament to the vitality of imagination combined with a treatise about the abuse of power, it remains unrivalled. The sensuality of the imagery, the Devil's amusing retinue and the surreal situations that emerge when the characters attempt to make sense of the capriciousness of the Soviet Union have made this a massive favourite with readers since its unlikely publication in the 1960s. Bulgakov's achievement is to become a character in his own novel, a victim of the same problems as the Master, and afraid enough of the authorities to burn the original manuscript. His savage, spiteful satire on the Writers' Union is often overlooked for the charm of the love story, where a writer made miserable by rejection is revived by the love of a beautiful woman, though much of the book is devoted to the appalling arrogance of the approved culture the Soviet writing fraternity represented. The mediocrity of their creativity can be contrasted with the imaginative brilliance of Woland and his henchmen, who mete out particularly undignified punishments for the self-important, eventually burning down the official writer's restaurant as revenge for their crimes against literature. This was a brave book, written in dangerous circumstances, and that it survives at all is testament to Woland's aphorism that 'manuscripts don't burn'.
|
Yes (1) 
No (0)
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-05 06:53:24.
(Language: English)
Some of the most hilarious, joyfully malevolent socio-political satire ever written. Yes, I know the alternating chapters set in ancient Jerusalem drag for many readers, and the Master's hand-wringing and kvetching can seem overdramatic by contemporary standards; regardless, as a multi-layered chronicle of the often-sorry attempts of individuals to distinguish themselves in the midst of Stalinist beaurocracy (you might say individual hubris vs. institutional hubris, with the rogue devil Woland and his zany supernatural entourage probably the "realest" characters in the novel) it's one of the Soviet era's finest literary artifacts. I've read 3 different translations over the years, and Pevear and Volokhonsky's is by far the best, with loads of detailed footnotes.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-29 03:43:22.
(Language: English)
Overrated? Only if you expect to be moved/provoked/changed as much as others say it did to them. In this day of hype it's difficult to come cleanskin to any book, music or movie. This book was hyped to me by an American in Moscow in 1995 when we went to the cafe/restaurant named after the book. Ten years later I see it in a second hand bookstore and buy it. Six months later I read it not sure how I'll feel about it. It speaks to me and I rave about it. Is it an illusionary ten rouble note and I'm the sucker? I've given it to friends - some love it, some couldn't get through it, some couldn't work out why I like it so much, none hated it. Expectations? Hype? Overrated? Perhaps for some, but not for me. Hey, and it inspired one of the great samba tunes of all time.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-17 01:37:05.
(Language: English)
I loved this, apart from trying to keep up with all the names of the characters! It was witty, cleverly written and translated and if I knew Russian no doubt I would have to ask WeRead for a higher star rating! At no point was I bored, instead there was a continuous intensity building up as the story reached different peaks. Great read, recommended to all that can bend their brain!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2012-01-02 01:23:56.
(Language: English)
Narnia for Russians? Though I hope CS Lewis will forgive the comparison to this book his Chronicles of Narnia. Short of it being a long slog to get through and religious undertones, this book pales drastically by comparison. I greatly regret that I made it all the way through it, including the *extended* Epilogue which sealed this book's low rating. Unbelievable, word wasting Hi-jinx dressing up a obvious, simple, uninspired plot. As an avid reader of Russian literature (a distinction unworthy of this book), I suspect this and my fondness for some of Dostoevsky's lighter works is how it became "recommended" to me by the Audible bot. I can only assume the error is that I failed to notice this is likely a children's book that adults are meant to enjoy, except it is far less entertaining than others of this genre because of the intentional impossibility to suspend disbelief. Bottom line: unimaginative, imaginings.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-28 01:18:47.
(Language: English)
Okay. Read this book, reread one more time and then another three of four times. I have. I have discovered something new every time. Plus: It has been released as a 16 hours serial movie in Russia just recently with some actors I know for a fact to be esoterics: Korovjev, one of the main personas, ONLY played in movies of magick and the occult or esoteric. Take a dip in the russian strata of intelligentsia and you will discover a well of ancient vedic and occult wisdom. HaukNB. I have studied the Sabbath of Satan and the Ball of One Hundred Queens in this novel and if you are interested in my discoveries, mail me at haukmart@hotmail.com
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-11-29 11:30:33.
(Language: English)
The novel is a multilayered critique of the Soviet society in general and its literary establishment specifically. It begins with Satan visiting Moscow in the 1920s or 30s, joining a conversation of a critic and a poet, busily debating the existence of Jesus Christ and the Devil. It then evolves into an all-embracing indictment of the corruption, greed, narrow-mindedness, and widespread paranoia of Stalinist Russia. Banned but widely read, the novel firmly secured Bulgakov's place among the pantheon of great Russian writers. (Wikipedia). This book really takes you from Jerusalem to Moscow in such a magical way. You will find out that the cat isn't just a cat... The best book ever written. Magic, religion, meta Stalin, CCCP, love story, everything in same package. The best book ever. Unbeliveable and great piece of art. Please read it! You will grow as a human being :)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-10 04:16:17.
(Language: English)
The Devil visits Moscow and causes some havoc, intercedes ? for the better in some lives, interwoven with a story within a sotry about a writer pennign a novel about Jesus and Pntious Pilate...hard to describe. Despite how evidently massive this book was when first released to the general western public (in the mid 70s was evidently #1 on european student's read list), I just discovered it and found it really interesting an unique. A bit jumpy and not entirely consistent, satisfying in the end. Nevertheless, a really interesting farcical romp mixed with religious/politcal themes, a bit of mental illness thrown in, lots of cool special effects (if it were made into a CGI movie).
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-05 08:53:12.
(Language: English)
Marvelous. One of my favourite places was when Margarita was carrying her yellow flowers... I also remember laughing a lot when black magic met philistinism. The night when Margarita turned into a witch is one of the most memorable pieces. Oh...you can speak forever about the novel. Although every character is important, for me Voland remains a character not properly understood, if you will. Not even Christ. Voland is Satan, but he also sees and punishes evil in people. He is appreciative of Master and Margarita, the people who are different from the crowd and stand alone by the virtue of Truth inside them. (Thruth is the word I give to any pursuit of God, meaning and own self). A Satan appreciating truth?! Does not sound right, does it?
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-09 05:59:21.
(Language: Italian)
Coraggioso. E' questa la prima parola che mi viene in mente dopo aver letto il "Maestro e Margherita". Coraggioso perché riscrive i vangeli e li riscrive con una prospettiva storica notevole e maledettamente realistica, a primo acchitto dissacrante ma che se si legge bene nelle trame del libro dissacrante non è. Coraggioso perché se si pensa al periodo storico in cui fu scritto è davvero un pugno in faccia al sistema sovietico e all'imbrigliamento della cultura durante il regime e ne è la riprova gli ostacoli che il romanzo ha incontrato ma come dice Woland "I romanzi non bruciano mai". Infine visionario e romantico ma in maniera pacata e discreta e per questo mai banale. Ottima lettura e per una volta ho fatto meno fatica a ricordare quei maledetti nomi russi...
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-04 05:10:06.
(Language: English)
Selon les Russes, le meilleur livre jamais écrit était le roman Le maître et Marguerite de Mikhaïl Boulgakov. Aujourd'hui, le centre de recherche du portail de recrutement russe SuperJob.ru a présenté les résultats d'un interrogatoire ouvert parmi 3000 personnes de toutes les régions du pays, qui ont répondu à la question: “quel livre (de la littérature) considérez-vous le meilleur ?”. Le premier livre dans le classement des meilleurs était Le maître et Marguerite. Il a été mentionné par 16 % de ceux qui ont été interrogés et il a été décrit comme un "roman très divertissant et instructif”. En dépit du fait que beaucoup d'années sont passées depuis le moment de sa redaction, le caractère de Boulgakov, sa mentalité et ses pensées sont toujours vivantes en Russie. Pour 7 % de Russes le meilleur livre est Guerre et Paix de L.N. Tolstoï. Crime et Châtiment de F.M. Dostoïevski est le meilleur livre pour 3 % des Russes. Il vaut la peine pour noter que, en plus de ce roman, L'Idiot et Les Frères Karamazov de Dostoïevski ont été aussi mentionnés parmi les meilleurs oeuvres littéraires. Il est intéressant de voir que Mikhaïl Boulgakov a subjugué les coeurs de toutes les générations de Russes, alors que les oeuvres de Tolstoï et Dostoïevski étaient plus souvent mentionnés par les gens de plus de 35 ans. D'autres travaux classiques mentionnés dans la liste des meilleurs livres étaient Le Comte de Monte-Cristo et Les Trois Mousquetaires d' Alexandre Dumas, Eugène Onegin de A.S. Pushkin, Le malheur d'avoir trop d'esprit de A.S. Griboïedov, Les Âmes Mortes de N.V. Gogol, Anna Karenina par L.N. Tolstoï et Trois Camarades et À l'Ouest, rien de nouveau par E. M. Remarque. Des oeuvres d'auteurs contemporains ont été mentionnés les romans Cent Ans de Solitude de G.G. Marquez, L'Alchimiste de P. Coelho, Harry Potter de J.K. Rowling, Le Chariot de diamant de B. Akounine et L'amour dure trois ans de F. Beigbeder. 22 % des Russes a trouvé difficile de nommer un "meilleur livre jamais écrit”. Une livre extraordinaire, drôle et profond; tout le monde devrais le lire.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-16 11:18:17.
(Language: English)
I have just finished "The Master and Margarita" and gone through hell and back assuming this is an introspection into schizophrenic worlds putting aside the time frame.The only thing that kept my sanity reading this book was the love story of the two unhappy souls -the Master and Margarita- , love that touched even the dark side with its demons and condemned. A great book of all times that gives you the feeling that life can be seen from many different angles, that evil rules the world if given the "green light" but in the end love is what counts and survives. The story is very metaphorical , philosophical, surreal, dark, humorous, satirical of the time it portrays and full of symbols . "One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly bring havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him." One of my favorites of Russian literature along with "Doctor Jivago" by Boris Pasternak. ( avoid reading it though while going through a bad or depressed mood)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-17 11:24:10.
(Language: English)
There's nothing can say about this book that others haven't said before me. It's daring, it's witty, it's cynical, and never boring. It's a satire, it's a love story, it's an absurdist play, it's a Bildungsroman, it's a postmodern take on Faust, it's a protest against censorship. Or, as the book's Wiki page informs you, "part of its literary brilliance lies in the different levels on which it can be read, as hilarious slapstick, deep philosophical allegory, and biting socio-political satire critical of not just the Soviet system but also the superficiality and vanity of modern life in general" And because of this characteristic, "The Master and Margarita" is one of those books that you can't just digest in one read. At first I had mixed feelings about it - it was always intriguing, exciting, yes, but not lovable enough, I thought. Its light and talkative tone didn't seem, to me, to capture the agony and pain of people's lives in Stalinist Moscow. Moreover, with the possible exception of Behemoth, the vodka-drinking, chess-playing, pistol-toting cat, the book had no characters that one truly cares for. Or that's what I felt as I was reading it. You can see why, then, it surprises me that weeks after finishing the novel I find its colourful cast of characters - Woland, Azazello, Behemoth, the Master, Margarita, Ivan Ponyrov, and Pontius Pilate - frequently popping into my head and putting a smile on my face. It probably won't go down as one of my favourite books, but it is certainly memorable, unique, and unlike anything I've ever read.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-27 12:33:59.
(Language: English)
The Master and Margarita is the greatest literary classic you've never heard of.Much of the main story depicts a visit by the Devil to Stalin's Moscow and the havoc he wreaks there. Madcap magic and mysterious happenings follow Satan and his minions on their romp through the city, also confirming my theory that the Devil throws the best parties.This adventure is juxtaposed with a powerful and robust telling of the tale of Pontius Pilate and the Crucifixion. Bulgakov's Pilate is tortured and utterly human; really one of the strongest characters I've ever seen portrayed in print.A third storyline follows the novel's eponymous star-crossed lovers, separated by madness, as they fight their way back to each other. The Devil works in mysterious ways, and he plays a pivotal role here as well.I read the Everyman's Library edition, translated by Michael Glenny. Glenny's translation is a very comfortable read, not stiff or pedantic. By turns riotously funny, confusing, and deeply moving, the novel is well worth the effort it may take to find it
|
|
Rob posted a review at 2011-08-19 09:39:44.
(Language: English)
I can tell that this is a grand work of Russian literature. But, for an outsider there is no storyline to speak of. Instead, there are a bunch of inside jokes... which don't become funny once they are explained didactically in the notes. Didn't bother to finish it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-20 04:05:45.
(Language: English)
This book is truly a masterpiece. It begins with several different stories that weave together to create a tapestry that is a political satire with religious and supernatural themes. Woven within the main story about the devil's visit to 1920s Moscow, is the story of Pontius Pilate. The most interesting feature of this interpretation of the Bible story is that it is, by far, the least religious part of the book. Mikhail Bulgakov pokes fun at people throughout the book using the devil and his companions, making it an entertaining snapshot of the mentality of the people living in Moskow at that time. The work is heavily inspired by Goethe's "Faust" and there is evidence of this littered throughout. This particular publication has some very helpful translator's notes and essays that help add another dimension to the novel - although even without them it's an enjoyable read.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-29 06:47:50.
(Language: English)
So what happens when early 20th century Moscow’s atheists get a visit from the Devil? More specifically, what happens to one such non-believer when he argues with the disguise of a German professor on a park bench? Let’s just say that he shouldn’t hang around subway trains. Let’s also just say that you shouldn’t dismiss the supernatural magic show that Woland (another disguised persona) performs as yet another show with a secret method to be revealed, i.e. not real magic. What can you do when the streets run amuck after he and his band of misfits fool people with fake money, false vanities, and suddenly non-existent eyewitness accounts? Woland and his friends will cause you to appear mad, which gets you thrown into the nuthouse, and just when you are sure you can prove your innocence, he, of course, has all the loose ends covered. But what if you’re one of the mad ones whose girlfriend is Margarita? Margarita, by some specific family lineage, and by the fact that her name is Margarita, has privileges with Woland and his friends. With Woland’s help, she will become a witch and visit hell as the guest of honour at the great ball where deceased murderers and criminals congregate. For her services, she will ask him a favour. Mix in a neat plot merger with the story of Pontius Pilate, and here, you have a magical story full of colourful images that would have future movie adaptation directors scratching their balls. Hooray for the devil and his friends. They sound like my friends too. Drinking, guns, and cards, and good company….well, my friends do without the guns. ;-)
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-10 08:31:09.
(Language: English)
If you typically have reservations or difficulties reading Russian Literature (let's face it, a lot of Russian Lit is bleak, melancholy, lengthy, dry, and full of names so long your head spins), this is a great place to start. Unless of course, you have any mental health issues, in which case this book may send you careening over the edge. Luckily, I'm mostly sane. This novel is surprisingly readable, almost child-like in its fantastical and frenetic action. It is at turns bizarre, charming, and dark, and it's told almost as two books melded together that tie up fairly neatly (if not entirely sensibly) at the end. I loved it, but found it very similar to something I wrote when I was 12, so take that for what it's worth.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-27 09:00:04.
(Language: English)
The Master and Margarita is an epic piece of 20th century literature that, through magical and surreal tales, unearths the hypocrisies of a Moscow in the height of Stalin's rule. The Devil and his band of cultured, magical and mischievous miscreants come to Moscow and tear apart the fabric of a privileged clan of writers and poets and mock and humiliate cultured society and all their associates - sending quarrelsome people to their death, to a psychiatric centre or to the police. Alongside and interlinked, is the tale of The Master, as called by his love Margarita, a couple helplessly and effortlessly in love but torn asunder by callous critiques of The Master's book on the passion of the Christ and the life of Pontius Pilate. The tortures and torments of Pilate, including the passion of the Christ, form the third interlinking tale within this book. Bulgakov, with clear glee and delicate irony, sets the Devil free to bring chaos (for eventual order?) to Moscow. The Devil enlists Margarita as part of his festivities and as payback reunites her with The Master, who in turn set the eternally morose Pilate free. Doesn't make sense? Read the novel and prepare to be dazzled, confused and ultimately enlightened.
|
|
Charles posted a review at 2011-11-05 08:10:02.
(Language: English)
What do you do in 1930s Communist Russia when you cannot believe in God (not allowed) and the Devil shows up. Can you believe in him? Souls goes up in smoke the writers union falls. True love Magarita saves the hero? again, Faust-like, but this time working with mr. D. Special note> The Devil's vodka-drinking cat should be enough to make you want to read the book.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-08 04:46:50.
(Language: English)
To review an obvious masterpiece is a bit degrading so I'll just tell my personal encounters with the book. I first read it when I was 15 in the last years of communist rule in Bulgaria and I took it just that way - as a funny book about Satan making fun of Communist Moscow - my favourite scene was the spectacle in the theatre. Then when I found God I saw the transcedent in the book and reread it. Then when I read Kant I suddenly realised that M&M is a deeply kantian book, I reread it, the transcendent descended and now Yeshua's words "There are no bad people" sound different to me. Then later when I found Heraclitus I didn't find anything of him in M&M :-)) A book about love and one's personal via crucis. I guess greatest ever.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-14 03:03:35.
(Language: English)
I just wanted to reply to the lovely folks who have a hard time with the first part of the book. I must say that it is difficult to understand the atmosphere and events described from that particular era, especially for one not of Russian decent. I am of Russian descent and a lot of information presented I enjoyed all the more because I knew exactly what the author was talking about. I have read other as well. I also read the Russian original and this translation is amazingly accurate without losing the humor. In a nutshell I love it and would re-read it all over a gain, few more times.
|
|
|
Cindy posted a review at 2009-02-02 05:50:08.
(Language: English)
Any book with a talking cat can't be wrong. :) On a more serious note, there are three interwoven narratives here: the one about the devil coming back to Russia to see if Communism has made people better, the one about the Master who is working on his life's work (novel), and the Master's novel about Pontius Pilate. It's an uncharacteristically sympathetic portrait of Pilate - and it seems remarkable to be in the same book next to the other two parts. Incredibly thought-provoking, at-times bizarre as anything that Christopher Moore would dream up, and never boring. Amazing read. Hard to believe it was written when it was - could have been written today.
|
|
Jason posted a review at 2009-07-31 07:00:42.
(Language: English)
Any book that has inspired both Mick Jagger and Salman Rushdie has got to be worth reading at least once. Bulgakov tells the story of a poet who encounters Satan when he shows up in Moscow and then goes on to wreak havoc throughout the city with his unholy band of companions. The rampage involves mass hypnotism, the distribution of fake money, disappearances, mysterious deaths, and the driving of many people to insanity. The core of the story is about the Master, an insane novelist who rewrote the New Testament from Pontius Pilate's point of view in a way that parallels Moscow society in the 1930's, and Margarita, the beautiful woman who sells her soul in order to liberate the Master from his insanity. The author's intentions are obscure and the inside jokes and references to arcane aspects of Muscovite society at the time of the rise of Stalin are obscure also. However, if you don't mind being mystified this can be an engaging novel.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-30 02:09:54.
(Language: English)
If the Russians had won the space race upon walking on the moon I imagine the astronaut, rather then saying some vaguely patriotic sound bite, would recite a poem that expressed how fragile humanity is, how incredible the human spirit can be and most of all put some perspective of our existence in this strange and incomprehensibly vast Universe. Sober philosophy is something the Russians seem to be skilled at and non more so then Mikhail Bulgavoc whose Master and Margarita really puts into sobering perspective that there are things in this world the go beyond our philosophy and knowledge. It is, as a Russian doctor of art once said, The Bible from an unexpected side. The plot finds the devil in the form of Woland arrive in 1930s Moscow with his band of merry creatures that includes very funny Behemoth a vodka swigging, chess playing and pistol shooting giant black cat, Fagotto a spinny ex-choir master, Hella a beautiful vampiress and Abadonna a pale-faced, black goggled Angel of the Death. Together they take out Moscow’s' literary elite and corrupt bourgeoisie for crimes of atheism. It shows us that the corrupt philistines in power are less in control than they might wish as, although the may think they have, they have no control over death or the spirit. They might mobilize the forces of darkness themselves to keep people in check, but in a face-to-face contest with the Prince of Darkness they are helpless and fall short. It's an epic novel of magic realism with a sub-plot surrounding Jesus and Judas and it is autobiographical in many ways of Mikhail Bulgavocs struggle to get his manuscript for the novel published under Stalin’s regime. Published 26 years after Bulgavocs death and only available in underground Moscow literary circles before hand it's the possible the best book I've read so far in my twenty-two short years. A carnival of the imagination where to be oridnary is the biggest sin. I recommend it to anyone - it's fucking amazing.
|
Share your views!
Similar books
