Book Review

[kenjari]

The Master and Margarita
by Mikhail Bulgakov

This novel is delightfully surreal and absurd. It follows what happens when Satan appears in Stalin-era Moscow one spring night. The Devil and his small entourage of demons leave a swathe of mischief, chaos, and madness among the literary and theatrical circles of the city. This plot thread is interwoven with a reimagining of Pontius Pilate's story and the fate of a writer identified only as The Master and his lover Margarita. This last story is related to the tale of Faust.
I found this book very interesting and often entertaining. However, I have to admit that I think I failed to grasp it fully or even satisfactorily. This one got away from me.

Comments

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

It's one of my favorites. Of course, that's because they made us read it multiple times in COL. So it's got some good memories attached.

[samaphore.livejournal.com]

A friend I work with teaches this book to college freshmen! Brave, I think...

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

That is pretty brave! However, I think a classroom context would be ideal for this book. As I was reading it I kept longing for a reading guide or a friend to discuss it with (all the people I know who have read it are not close enough for spontaneous casual conversation of that type).