The Master and Margarita [Paperback]

Mikhail Bulgakov (Author), Michael Karpelson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2006

Moscow, 1929: a city that has lost its way amid corruption and fear, inhabited by people who have abandoned their morals and forsaken spirituality. But when a mysterious stranger arrives in town with a bizarre entourage that includes a giant talking cat and a fanged assassin, all hell breaks loose. Among those caught up in the strange and inexplicable events that transpire in the capital are the Master, a writer whose life has been destroyed by Soviet repression, and his beloved Margarita. Their adventures reveal a story that began two thousand years ago in ancient Jerusalem - and its resolution will decide their fate. Translated by Michael Karpelson.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411683056
• ISBN-13: 978-1411683051
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,789,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars seductive masterpiece, October 22, 2008

By 

Ted Byrd - See all my reviews

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

The Master and Margarita is permeated with so many characteristics of greatness-depth, humor, irony, tragedy, mystery- that it is hard to adequately convey my respect and admiration for this novel. Basically it reworks the time-honored theme of the individual of artistic or intellectual temperament trying to discover and attain to the fullest the possibilities of his own particular consciousness. Almost always, it seems, whatever regime is ascendant in the world is dedicated to dragging that consciousness down to the level of the lowest common denominator where it can be understood and controlled by the ruling power. Thus, we see the Master incarcerated in an asylum; his "aberration" being the writing of a novel about Jesus and Pilate; a parallel drama which reinforces the idea of confrontation between the spirit and earthly authority. The story oscillates between Soviet Russia of the 1930's and the events of Jesus' crucifixion. These two worlds overlap in strange and intimate ways in the consciousness of the characters and both worlds exemplify this tension and opposition between the individual and the system of the world. In a Neo-Platonic way God is represented as being the First Cause who initiates, but then stands isolated from It's creation. Therefore, it is left to the Devil to take a hand in earthly affairs on the side of the individual. Some truly phantasmagorical supernatural episodes provide an exquisite setting for the metaphysical drama being played out. Inevitably, Bulgakov's tale invites comparison with Faust, who also accepted aid from the Devil in his quest for transcendence. This brings me to the only qualm I have about the book. I don't believe that Bulgakov was advocating Satanism in any form or fashion or I would not touch it under any circumstances. My view is that his use of the Devil as a character was a literary device to show that there are cosmic forces at work, that are neither good nor bad in an absolute sense, but are processes of becoming. At any rate, it appears that the book has acquired a cult-following that is focused on this one aspect of the story. This is regrettable, but there is always that danger with such a powerful and appealing work that it might resonate strongly with some readers, but be interpreted too narrowly. I would certainly not claim that my own interpretations are impeccable. There are many scholars who have devoted a great deal of effort into trying to unravel the levels of meaning contained therein. Though my understanding of it is, admittedly, likely very superficial, I feel confident in my belief that it is a modern masterpiece.

4.0 out of 5 stars "a liberating, exuberant social and political satire (Moscow) combined with a profound moral and political allegory (Jerusalem);, November 6, 2008

By 

Julee Rudolf "book snob" (Oak Harbor, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Master and Margarita (Paperback)

a vindication and a celebration of the persecuted (metaphorically executed?) Russian intelligentsia clad in the revered garb of the Holy Fool; a hymn to the strength of the weak," writes Simon Franklin in the Michael Glenny translation Introduction. Hugh Aplin, in a newer translation, contends that, (p 433) "The novel demands several readings, such are the depths of interconnected details and implications." Following his advice, I've now read the book three times in as many months (Aplin's, then Glenny's, then Aplin's again). Each time I learned something new.

As the story begins, two men, Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz, an editor, and Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyrev, a poet, are sitting on a bench in Moscow, discussing an anti-religious poem the latter wrote for the former, when, speak of the devil, he arrives, (p 6 HA) "A citizen almost seven feet tall, but narrow in the shoulders, unbelievably thin, and a physiognomy, I beg you to note, that was mocking." Intrigued by their contention that Jesus never existed, he places himself literally in the middle of the conversation, plunking himself down between the two and assuring them that the man did indeed exist. As the discussion and foreigner become increasingly animated, the Muscovites agitatedly realize that something is not right. He introduces himself as Woland, claims to be a "specialist in black magic," and correctly prophecies Berlioz' imminent and gruesome death. The poet, determined to track down the mysteriously murderous man, ends up in a sanatorium while Woland takes up residence in the deceased's flat. His new roommate is, conveniently, the manager of a local theater. When they first meet he learns (without prior knowledge or rememberance) that he has contracted with the devil to do a series of shows in the theater. The first performance, attended by over two thousand persons, is a hit. Meanwhile, in the sanatorium, Ivan meets The Master, so nicknamed by his lover Margarita, a woman who has left an idealic life and marriage as a result of her obsession with an article he's written about Jesus, to be, instead, with him. The two parties meet when the Devil's henchman, (p 90 HA) a "lanky man in broken glasses" solicits Margarita's services to hostess a wicked party. Lathered with a magical cream, she temporarily becomes a young witch, complete with a broomstick that allows her to fly (her maid Natasha does same and joins her). They, along with the Devil's henchcat ("black" and "large as a boar") terrorize the residents of Moscow for one horrible night while they entertain the spirits. Margarita chooses to be kind to a new acquaintance over asking for a reunion with her lover, but Woland ends up honoring both requests.

As far as the difference between the two translations, I liked them both but for different reasons. The Michael Glenny version did not have footnotes, which was less distracting. The Hugh Aplin translations gains (I'd think) the authentic feel of Russian words, but the reader has to flip back to the Notes to find out what they are. At first I thought it was pretty clever that Aplin translates (more than Glenny) talk by mortals related to the devil to some sort of phrase containing the word "devil," for example (from pages 10-81), "what the devil does he want?" "The devil, he heard it all..." "But then, the devil knows" "the devil knew who she was..." and "There was this devilish business..." But the second time through, it wasn't as appealing. I would recommend reading the Michael Glenny translation first, then the Hugh Aplin version (with its more specific details). The Master and Margarita, with it's outstandingly odd story and famous phrase "Manuscripts don't burn," is truly a masterpiece, but will probably be better appreciated by serious fans of Russian literature. Also good: Doctor Zhivago by Bernard Pasternak, The Fixer by Bernard Malamud, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

2 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 10, 2007

By 

Valentyn Grachov (Montana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

The topic of the book is similar to the topic of "Da Vinchi code". However, the content is more interesting and amazing.