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The Master and Margarita

by Mikhail Bulgakov

ISBN13: 9780679760801
ISBN10: 0679760806

All Product Details

$16.00

New Trade Paperback

Ships in 1 to 3 days

Qty	Store
7	Burnside

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature.

The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech. 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 wreak 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.

What ensues is a novel of inexhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth, a work whose nuances emerge for the first time in Diana Burgin's and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor's splendid English version.

Review

"Fine, funny, imaginative...The Master and Margarita stands squarely in the great Gogolesque tradition of satiric narrative." Newsweek

Review

"The book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative, and poignant....A great work."Chicago Tribune

Review

"One of the truly great Russian novels of [the twentieth] century." New York Times Book Review

Review

"A wild surrealistic romp....Brilliantly flamboyant and outrageous." Joyce Carol Oates

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Average customer rating 4.5 (2 comments)

`	munkyfusic , August 03, 2012 This book made me painfully aware that I am ignorant about history. Although I found the book to be amusing, I don't really fell like I "got it." It was a little hard to get through at times but the end made it all worth it.
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`	David Feucht , June 04, 2008 (view all comments by David Feucht) I found this book to be really entertaining, subtle and well-written. It gives a satirical but insightful look at what life was like in the 1930's in Russia, a very comical set of events which seem completely fantastical, yet mirror things that actually happened during the time period he was writing the book. I have a feeling this book will warrant several readings to catch everything that is going on - which will be no great burden, as I couldn't put it down the first time. I also find it interesting to read something that was censored and never allowed to be published in full until 35 years after the author's death. To me, that hints that it has something important to say.
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