THE ORIGINAL AND BEST TRANSLATION BY MICHAEL GLENNY 50th Anniversary Edition. Afterwards, when it was frankly too late, descriptions were issued of the man: expensive grey suit, grey beret, one green eye and the other black. He arrives in Moscow one hot summer afternoon with various alarming accomplices, including a demonic, fast-talking black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full and the forces of law and order are in disarray. Only the Master, a man devoted to truth, and Margarita, the woman he loves, can resist the devil’s onslaught. Brilliant and blackly comic, The Master and Margarita was repressed by Stalin’s authorities and only published after the author’s death. The Vintage Classic Russians Series: Published for the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, these are must-have, beautifully designed editions of six epic masterpieces that have survived controversy, censorship and suppression to influence decades of thought and artistic expression.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Imprint: Vintage Classics UK
Publication date: 05/01/2017
Series: Vintage Classic Russians Series
Master and Margarita
By Mikhail Bulgakov
Review by Renata
Is it love story, political satire, Christian philosophy, or mythic fever dream? This masterful masterpiece - unpublished in Bulgakov's lifetime - is all these and more. In one plot-line the devil visits Moscow accompanied by an entourage that includes a gigantic, gun-loving cat, a succubus and a fanged hitman. This grotesque and hilarious crew attempts to awaken the Muscovite elite to its vanity and greed - with mixed results. In another sub-plot, Pontius Pilate must decide the fate of Yeshua Ha-Nozri (Jesus) - a task that plunges him into existential crisis. Later, it's revealed that this latter section is the plot of a book written - and then burned by - the titular Master. Confused? You almost certainly will be! Abandon your preconceptions and prepare for a wild and beautiful ride. (Spoiler: some of that ride will take place on a broomstick, with a pig riding shotgun.)
