The Master and Margarita [Paperback]

Mikhail Bulgakov (Author), Diana Burgin (Translator), Katherine Tiernan O'Connor (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One of the truly great Russian novels of [the twentieth] century.”
—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“The book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative,
and poignant . . . A great work.”
—CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is a soaring, dazzling novel; an extraordinary fusion of wildly disparate elements. It is a concerto played simultaneously on the organ, the bagpipes, and a pennywhistle, while someone sets off fireworks between the players’ feet.”
—NEW YORK TIMES

“Fine, funny, imaginative . . . The Master and Margarita stands squarely in the great Gogolesque tradition of satiric narrative.”
—NEWSWEEK

“A wild surrealistic romp . . . Brilliantly flamboyant and outrageous.”
—Joyce Carol Oates

“Sparkling, enchanting, funny, deeply serious and sometimes baffling . . . [The Master and Margarita is] a liberating, exuberant social and political satire combined with a profound moral and political allegory . . . A bravura performance of truly heroic virtuosity, a carnival of the imagination.”
—from the Introduction by Simon Franklin


From the Hardcover edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Russian

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (March 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679760806
• ISBN-13: 978-0679760801
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (191 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Russian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

181 of 186 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars where to begin..., August 8, 2000

By 

"wmw77" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Master and Margarita (Paperback)

I suppose that I can start by saying that "The Master and Margarita" has been my favorite book for over 7 years now (that says a lot since I read quite a bit!). I don't think it is necessary to discuss the plot of the book, since you can read what the book is about by looking at the editorial reviews. However, I will comment on the various translations.

Without a doubt, the book in the original Russian is incomparable, but if you don't read Russian I would recommend the Burgin/Tiernan O'Connor translation. The first translation I ever read was Mirra Ginsburg's - although it is very charming and enjoyable, certain bits of conversation as well as almost an entire chapter are omitted from this translation. I have also read parts of Michael Glenny's translation, and I don't feel that his translation accurately relays the depth, rhythm and richness of Bulgakov's style. Burgin/Tiernan O'Connor has given the most complete and accurate translation of this work. Another superb feature of this translation is the commentary section at the end of the text, which is very helpful in understanding what influenced Bulgakov, and is especially helpful if the reader is not familiar with certain aspects of Soviet culture while the book was written (during the 1930's).

Lastly, I have to comment on the thing that I love most about "The Master and Margarita" - it is impossible to classify this book as one certain genre. This book is a philosophical and religious novel, an historical novel, a satire, a love story, an action/adventure, and a fantasy all rolled into one. Simply put, it is timeless - an original, brilliant and beautiful novel.

103 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There Are Not Enough Stars to Do It Justice, August 10, 2000

By 

Bruce Kendall "BEK" (Southern Pines, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Master and Margarita (Paperback)

This novel belongs in its own category, for there has never been another like it. A really great novel is like a best friend. We love to see them praised and are hurt when they are attacked. I am elated to see that so many Amazon readers share my love for this great work. I have been reticent to write a critique, as I really can't do it justice. Words are too meager a medium to convey my true response to this masterpiece. Suffice it to say that this has long been my first recommendation whenever anyone approached me about books I most enjoyed. Now with the appearance of Diana Burgin's and Katherine O'Connor's superb translation, I can recommend it even more unreservedly. I've read the Ginsburg and Glenny translations, as well, and have to agree with the other reviewers here who take exception to them. I haven't read the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, but haven't been too excited by their work with Dostoevsky, so will probably skip it. I envy those who can read Bulgakov and other Russian masters in the original language, but I make do with finding the best translation I can and pay heed to what native speakers have to say about the various translations. I haven't heard any negatives about Burgin's and O'Connor's efforts. The volume also contains some useful annotation, particularly helpful if you are unfamiliar with the era and with the layout of Moscow. There are also some great Bulgakov sights on the net that have detailed maps of 30's-era Moscow, for those interested in getting a clearer mental picture of the sites Bulgakov describes (Patriarchs Pond, The Aryat, etc.). As far as placing Bulgakov in the Pantheon of Russian novelists, this novel alone propels him to the front ranks. Some of his other works, most notably Heart of a Dog and White Guard have not been adequately translated yet, so it is difficult to assess them. If you are a Pasternak fan (which I am not) you will probably enjoy White Guard, however. It is not satire, though, which in my estimation is Bulgakov's strong suit. Nor is there much humor there (at which he also excels in M&M). In fact I would be hard-pressed to come up with any other work in any literature that is as scathingly humorous and dead-on-target satirical as M&M. Burgess and Vonnegut are rungs below Bulgakov in either category. Bulgakov skewers every Moscow bureaucrat and literary hack (unfortunately in the Stalinist era most of those who maintained positions of authority in literary circles were obsequious no-talents who mouthed party-line propaganda) that ever did him harm (and these were legion). Yet there is not an ounce of vitriol involved in the skewering, which is remarkable in itself. Bulgakov had to be one of the most good-natured people ever to pick up a pen. That is the overall impression one gleans from the accounts of his contemporaries and it is evident throughout this book. Yes, stupid people behave stupidly and predictably

(Annushka is Annushka ! ) but in most cases the divine forces at work here let them off the hook. If you haven't been convinced by all these testimonials to give this novel a try, I am probably wasting space here anyway. This novel is the reason I go on reading. I hope someday to come across another like it. There aren't enough stars in the Amazon galaxy to do it justice.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful prose; complex and tragic and funny all at once, October 7, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Master and Margarita (Paperback)

This is truly a remarkable book; buried beneath the rubble of Soviet censorship for twenty years, then partially uncovered, The Master and Margarita is now restored to its full passion, power and sly, striking sarcasm. With a cast of characters that includes an enormous walking, talking black cat named Behemoth, several slightly prissy Soviet writers (most of whom meet satisfying ends) and the Devil Himself, the book is all at once a comment on a writer's life under Stalin, a reworking of the stories of Pontius Pilate and Faust and at the same time, quite funny. I've only read a few books like this (The Sound and the Fury was one), where the prose seems to burn beneath your fingertips, propelling you to the end of the book. It has all the bluntness and beauty and sly wit of the best Russian literature. At one point in the novel, a character says, "manuscripts don't burn" -- what a relief that this one didn't.