Customer Reviews

Master I Margarita (Russian Version)

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I just finished this book and it's the best I've read in a long time! Bulgakov tells his story about Satan's visit in Moscow with humor, limitless imagination and also social criticism, involving all kinds of characters, from Pontius Pilate to a talking cat by the name of Behemoth... It's inspired and interesting, and I recommend this book to anyone!
My only regret is that I don't know enough Russian yet to be able to read it in the original language - I believe it could be even better then.

This hardback version of The Master and Margarita [ISBN: 5768403175} is printed in Russian. It is NOT an English translation.

I read The Master and Margarita as a teenager (the Michael Glenny translation), and was stunned. I thought it was the best novel I had ever read, combining spirituality and acerbic humor. The new translation is, if possible, even better. Bulgakov's other works, (Heart of a Dog, Days of the Turbins, etc.) are all worth reading, but this is his masterpiece. The comments in some reviews about this novel being inaccessible to Americans are incorrect; I do not understand any Russian, but was still deeply moved.

The Ginsburg translation utterly fails to capture Bulgakov's wit. While that is only part of the value of the book, I recommend you stay away from that translation.

This novel illustrates true mastery of every aspect of literature! It is exceptionally complex and yet amazingly simple and pleasurable to read! This is what makes the writer great! His ability to express difficult ideas and still be able to enchant the reader with the story of the Master and his Margarita. The book is impossible to put down... If you pick it up, do not expect to do anything else until you have reached the end... However, I must admit that the true beauty of the novel can only be seen by those who are capable of reading it in the original language... While it is likely that an english translation will be very enjoyable, unfortunately it does not (and can not!) fully express all of the subtle humor and symbolism of the original version... Nevertheles, READ IT! You will undoubtedly benefit from it and, very likely, fall in love with it like so many others have...

I have read the 1992 Glenny version, and it is Undoubtedly the best book I have ever read. I was laughing and fascinated by the views of the government, the way he poked fun of gossip, and the way he told three stories interwoven and connected. I will read as many versions as I can find.