Customer Reviews

The Master and Margarita

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I am Russian, and have read this novel (which is my favorite Russian novel), in Russian. However, for some reason, a week ago I decided to look through Michael Glenny's translation of this novel and I was shocked by the various little mistakes in the text. In the very first dialog, one of the main characters asks for a glass of Narzan (which is a famous brand of mineral water in Russia), which M.Glenny translates as lemonade. Close, but no cigar...And it goes further like this. That leads me to believe that the translator probably was not familiar with nuances of Russian language, or may be simply didn't care. Nevertheless, I know that it had been the only one English translation available since 1967 and thanks Mr.Glenny for that. Now we have Mirra Ginsburg's more accurate translation (I have checked), which makes me happy. The novel is truly fascinating. A really remarkable person wrote it. Bulgakov was a doctor by profession, he received an exellent education in the pre-Revolutionary Russia and lived through the horrors and turmoil of the Revolution of 1917 and the Civil war. This is a wonderful satire on Communism and a biblical story. This novel populated by very interesting characters, one of them is "unknown visitor" Woland, who is the Satan visiting Moscow with his entourage. Woland is a complex figure, a diabolical seducer, father of lies - the Devil himself, but also "he, who has brought the light" - Lucifer. He laughs at the Soviet Communists, who mistakenly think that they have rooted out all evil and have build a society which is even beyond the good and evil. In the clash with Woland they watch how the "perfect" and godless society crumbles down. Please read it, and you will enjoy it, because the novel goes beyond Russian culture to the world of archetypal characters and events that have meaning to all humans.

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 satire of Stalinist Russia. For it is within the social and political issues of Stalinist Russia that the true basis of this work is grounded. Banned until the 1960s (and then embraced) the story of The Master is a veiled belief of Bulgakov's in the importance of his own work. However, one does not need a knowledge of Russia or Russian politics to enjoy this extraordinary book. It is an entertaining read in its own right. If one understands the subtext, it is all the more enjoyable. The Master and Margarita represents one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century and one that has certainly never been equalled. Anyone who is serious about literature absolutely cannot afford to pass this up.

There are four translations of "The Master and Margarita" presently available Two of them, those by Mirra Ginsburg and Michael Glenny, are based upon a 1966 censored Russian version of the novel, while the later, Burgin/O'Connor and Pevear/ Volokhonsky translations are based upon the final uncensored version. Additionally, the latter two translations contain useful endnotes (footnotes would have been preferable) that explain references to people, places and things in the Moscow of the Thirties.

Despite these shortcomings, after reading all four translations, I found that I enjoyed the Ginsburg translation the most. Since I do not read Russian, I based that opinion on the facts that (1) for me, it read the most smoothly, and (2) the comic passages were simply funnier in her translation (Russians, justifiably consider the novel to be a comic masterpiece). I attribute these characteristics to the Ms. Ginsburg having been born and raised in the country of Byelorussia and her being a successful writer (in English!) in her own right.

Based upon those criteria, I rank the translations as follows:

1. Mirra Ginsburg (1967) [ISBN 0802130119]. Simply the most readable. Read also her translation of "Life of a Dog."

2. Diana Burgin and Katherine O'Connor [ISBN: 0679760806]. Conveys a wonderful sense of mood, especially in the Pontius Pilate chapters.

3. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1997) [ISBN: 0141180145]. I had the sense that this is the most accurate translation, but it is less literary than the two preceding choices. The comic passages simply do not come across. Pevear and Volokhonsky, a husband and wife team, are prolific translators of Russian literature. I have enjoyed several of their other translations, but this one just does not seem to work.

4. Michael Glenny (1967) [ISBN: 0679410465]. No reason to buy this one.

Having read all four, would I do it again? Absolutely! I'm convinced that this is one of the great novels of the 20th century, and with each reading I picked up subtleties that I had not noticed before.

Bulgakov is one of the best writers of the century. If you're going to read him, DO NOT READ MIRA GINSBURG'S TRANSLATION! It's terrible. Instead, you should read Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor's translation, which is far and away superior to this one. (The publisher is Vintage International). Truly, the difference is striking.

So much wonderful literature from the 1920s and 1930s is not given the attention it deserves. "The Master and Margarita" is one such book. Bulgakov, who finished the book in 1938, died in 1940 (I think) and so never knew how the world finally came to love his masterpiece. Like other Russian authors of his time, he was plagued with censorship and none of his works was published in Russia during his lifetime.

"The Master and Margarita," a satire of Stalinist Russia, remains as fresh and funny and ultimately, as sad, today as it no doubt did when Bulgakov wrote it. To say that this novel is multi-layered is putting it mildly. This book is a madcap tour de force; something akin to a Grand Prix auto race with absolutely no pit stops allowed. In my opinion, only "Lolita" can match it for its scathing hilarity.

As the book opens, magazine editor, Belioz and poet, Bezdomny sit on a park bench near Patriarch Ponds discussing the nonexistence of God (this is Stalinist Russia, so they certainly wouldn't be discussing His existence). During the course of their discussion, they encounter an ominous third person, someone who is definitely not from Moscow, who begins to question them regarding their nonbelief. He assures them that God is very much alive and, as if to prove his assertion, he predicts the very manner of Berlioz' death...a prediction that comes true all too quickly.

Is this well-dressed stranger who knows too much God, Himself? Hardly. I don't want to give away the plot of this rollercoaster of a book, so I will just say that the stranger is going by the name of Woland and claims to be a practitioner of black magic. "The" practitioner of black magic. He is not alone in his visit to Moscow; he has, in fact, a retinue (one of the best of these characters is Azazello) and he and his followers propose to put on a public show. (This show, incidentally, is one of the highlights of the book and there are many, many highlights.)

Entertwined with this narrative is a second narrative, seemingly quite different, but really a parallel. This second narrative is the story of a certain Roman Procurator and his reluctance to crucify a man called Yeshua. The second narrative is written in a completely different style than the one that takes place in Russia, which is just one more proof (if anymore are needed) of the genius of Bulgakov. We soon learn, however, that the narrative of Yeshua is being written by a psychiatric hospital inmate known only as "The Master." Driven insane (or almost insane) by the inequities of the times and the resulting despair, "The Master" has burned his manuscript and deserted his mistress, the charming Margarita.

Woland proves to be very good at drumming up business for a madhouse. The asylum, run by a Dr. Stravinsky, no less, begins to welcome new arrivals on an almost daily basis, new arrivals who all had the misfortune to cross paths with Woland.

While Moscow goes insane, however, Woland proceeds with his plans to give a Grand Ball and he begins his search for a hostess...a hostess who must be named, "Margarita." As anyone who has ever read Faust will know, Margarita is a Faustian reference and, in this book, she is a reference in more than name only. The beautiful Margarita has never forgotten her beloved Master and as she attempts to locate him, her path crosses with Woland's.

I won't give away the story, but I will tell you that Woland's Grand Ball does take place and a grand ball it is. The denouement of this book is a display of skill and wit that I have yet to encounter in any other book so far. So many books are guilty of hyperbole when they say the ending will "leave the reader breathless." This books comes as close to that as any I know.

Don't think you absolutely must have a knowledge of Russia or of Russian politics to understand and enjoy this book. You don't. You simply have to be an intelligent reader. There is, however, a subtext in this book that only those with some knowledge of Stalinist Russia will "get."

I have only read the Mirra Ginsburg translation of this novel, so cannot comment on translations, but I do know that some of the other translations come with extensive annotations and there is a companion guide for this book that can be purchased separately.

I certainly didn't do this wonderful book justice in this review, but then I didn't expect to. I don't think any review can do it justice. It's just that spectacular.

As a Russian, I had an advantage to read it in original language. As one of my fellow compatriots already mentioned, please be careful with the translation. I think this one is one of the best translations.

If you have imagination, ever wondered if there are forces of evil, and if there are - what would they look like and what would they do, if you are fascinated by magick, if you ever thought that there must be something out there to punish the mass stupidity - then it is a book for you.

Mihail Afanasievich Bulgakov, my favorite Russian writer, the authour of this masterpiece of the world literature, has lived through every word of this book. If you read about the author, you will see who is behind every character in this book. If you are familiar with the Russian culture, you will know that this book is a classic not to miss. It is just so Russian - innocent and diabolique at the same time.

When I first read it I was around 14 and I read it non-stop until I finished. I could not tear myself away. It is so fascinating and full of believable unbelievable - like everything what Bulgakov writes about. He certainly is a master of grotesque, and makes a reality a grotesque which remains with you forever and makes life more fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!I have a book and carry it around everywhere I move around the world, and I read it on a regular basis. Together with Alice in Wonderland from my childhood, definitely a #1 book for me!!!

Bulgakov's book is one of the most treasured Russian words of the Soviet Union, and with good reason! With a little knowledge or Soviet history, you can easily see why this book was banned by Stalinist authorities and kept Bulgakov under high tension.
"Master and Margarita" is about purges in the Soviet system, but its not done by Stalinist authorities; instead its done by Satan himself, and a slew of absolutely bizarre cohorts that includes a huge talking cat. If you aren't familiar with the purges, you will miss out on the greater meaning of the book, but the story is so bizarre, compelling, and humorous that you'll find yourself eager to find out what is going to happen.
Lots of my Russian friends absolutely love this book, and kept pestering me to read it. Bulgakov is almost the Soviet version of Dostoevsky in the sense that he treats real problems with an amusing story with the serious subject matter lurking behind the storyline. It would definatly help if this book was read in a class, or at least with a guide, because it will reveal Bulgakov's mastery in the literature of oppression.

People seem to love or hate the Ginsberg translation. I love it, BUT, the Ginsberg translation, as I understand, is based on an incomplete Russian text. The more complete (Bulgakov was still working on the novel when he died) version only came out in Russia a few years ago, and thus, the Pevear translation (Vintage paperback, Ardis hardcover) is more complete. In addition it has copious endnotes.

If you liked this book, read Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses." He drew a lot from Bulgakov, translating the idea from Moscow and Jerusalem to London and Mecca.

great book, but beware of the Mirra Ginsberg translation. It was translated from the censored Soviet text and is incomplete. get a different translation.

This review refers to the Pavear & Volokhonsky translation. More than two years ago, I expressed a hope that this translation will take place. My hope came through. While not perfect (a perfect translation is not possible) we have a valiant attempt at conveying the poetry of the original Russian sound. This is the only English translation of this magnificent book that should be read by anyone. I am baffled by the fact that the book is not available in the States -- I had to buy it in Australia! The magic is back -- believable love at first sight, believable prayer that conjures up a miracle, believable Moscow and Jerusalem.

Pavear and Volokhonsky took great care in rendering the tonalities and oddities in Bulgakov's Russian. They did not shy away from diminutives or alternative pronunciations of Biblical names and places. If you are not fluent in the Russian language and culture, this is a close as you can get to it in English.