Customer Reviews

The Master and Margarita

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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.

This is truly a remarkable book; buried beneath the rubble
of Soviet censorship for twenty years, then partially
uncovered, The Master and Margarita is now restored to its
full passion, power and sly, striking sarcasm.

With a cast of characters that includes an enormous walking,
talking black cat named Behemoth, several slightly prissy
Soviet writers (most of whom meet satisfying ends) and the
Devil Himself, the book is all at once a comment on a
writer's life under Stalin, a reworking of the stories of
Pontius Pilate and Faust and at the same time, quite funny.

I've only read a few books like this (The Sound and the
Fury was one), where the prose seems to burn beneath your
fingertips, propelling you to the end of the book. It has
all the bluntness and beauty and sly wit of the best
Russian literature. At one point in the novel, a character
says, "manuscripts don't burn" -- what a relief that this
one didn't.

I first read the 1967 paperback translation by Michael Glenny. It claimed to be the "only complete, unexpurgated edition" of the book and was the only version I was aware of in 1968. I read it once on my own (on the recommendation of a professor) and again in the 1968-69 school year in a Russian literature class. I loved it then for all the reasons given in the many reviews listed below. I read it a third time several years later and still loved it.

So now it's been 30 years since I withdrew from the second year of a masters degree program in Russian, and I decided I wanted to read "The Master and Margarita" in the original. I'll confess over the years I have had very few occasions to use my Russian and so have forgotten a great deal. I started reviewing my Russian and convinced several friends to read this book in translation so I'd have others with whom to discuss it. I purchased the Burgin/O'Conner translation (which seems to be the favorite among the many reviews given here) and currently await the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation from Amazon.com. My happiest moment came when I found the book in Russian on the Internet. I now am able to read a chapter in English, then in Russian. I am not yet at the point where I can read the Russian only, but I plan to get there soon. I will say that I do find the Burgin/O'Conner translation superior to the Glenny, but it is interesting to compare how the different translators have dealt with the Russian text. When I receive the Pevear/Volokhonsky version I will have a third opinion to compare.

The real reason I am writing this is to say that I disagree with those who say if you can't read it in the original, it's not worth it. It is definitely worth it. In 1967 I fell in love with this book using the translation that seems to be regarded as the poorest of them all, and while I am enjoying the new translation much more, I would recommend reading this book in any translation you can get. It is simply a book that is so good it is worth reading no matter what. Get the best translation available, read it, and don't be discouraged by those who say you have to read it in the original.

However, if you can read Russian and want to get a copy in the original, it is available from the White Nights Bookstore... The entire site is in Russian, and it offers an impressive array of books from "Internet for Dummies" in Russian to translated Danielle Steele novels (horrors!). I was amazed at the Russian language sources on the net. From siber you can get instructions on Russifying your computer so that with the click of a toggle, you can type in Russian or back to English. Another source of books in Russian is Hermitage... Znanie Bookstore in San Francisco has a site in progress... There are many others, so go searching!

Thanks to Amazon.com for providing this forum for all of us to tell the world about this incredible book! Everyone should read it!

I just finished reading the Michael Glenny translation of the novel recently, and I must say, despite all the supposed shortcomings of that translation, it was a great read. Like others have said, it combines many elements of fiction into one novel. It is overtly a dark comedy (I loved the Koroviev/Behemoth sequences) and romance novel (not in a sappy sense, but a very real one), but there is definately more to it. Covertly, it is quite philosophical and satirical. Be sure to get an edition with footnotes, it will help you to pick up on the philosophy and satire in the novel.

This is not the best book I've ever read, or my favourite, but it is now amoung my favourites for these reasons. It was an entertaining read, although a bit thick at times (perhaps because of the translation).

Andrew

I found this book in tatters underneath a moldy mattress in a Bornean bordello. Unlike my "date", this book was only tattered and soiled on the outside. What a surprise this book is (much like the surprise I discovered several weeks after my encounter with a different "Margarita") and I can highly recommend it to one and all.

I should warn you now, this is one of those books that requires an imagination as many of the things that occur are out of the ordinary (more like Garcia Marquez or Murakami than King or Carroll). If that bugs you, stay away. On the other hand, if you like subversive, metaphor-laden lollipops, this could be your sucker. It's a crazy ride, and the commentary included with this translation is most helpful. But nevermind all of that. What makes this worth reading is the darn cat. For once, the cat is not annoying. The black cat in this book (read Ch. XXVIII for example) is very very amusing. My wife's insipid terror-cat is nothing like this boozehound blackie and that's just too bad. I tried to get the philistine (Bessie) to read it, but all she did was complain about how unbelievable certain events were (she was particularly offended by how much vodka the cat drank). No matter, it's a great book and a nekkid redhead even makes an appearance. Better than most!

Writing during the Stalinist purges and not published until decades later, this tragy-comedy is an allegory of Satan visiting Moscow. The first half of the book, about Satan's reign of terror, is impressive in it's detail and fantasy. I didn't enjoy the second half quite as much, about the saving of the Master and Margarita. While there were some wonderfully rich scenes in the second half as well, I didn't feel close enough to the characters. Overall though, a fascinating book with layers.

I would first like to convey my intractable disapproval of the way I was misrepresented in the translation under discussion. As a true connoisseur, brilliant writer, and appreciator of learned cats, Dr. Bulgakov had absolutely intended me, Behemoth, to be the central character of this story (which I am in the Russian version, I assure you), and that is incomprehensibly lost in this, and every other, translation of The Master and Margarita. Russian may be a complicated language for some, but to turn it all around and say that the "Master" referred to in the title was meant for that inconsequential writer friend of Margarita's is really beyond belief! What has he got to do with anything? Ridiculous! And to suggest that the neophyte witch Margarita, no matter how charming she was at Satan's ball, would have the audacity to bully me--a creature with the strength to rip the head straight off the shoulders of that emcee, mind you--by simply pinching my ear! Who could believe such a thing? Another point is that chess game I was winning against Woland: it was _he_ who cheated his way out of a humiliating defeat by tossing my king under the bed, not the other way around! So, dear reader, if you should decide to read this otherwise enchanting novel, please keep in mind the errors made by its translators in casting my character in an unseemly, almost dismissive, light. As one who ought to know a little more about this subject than the throng of im-posters who have submitted their somewhat misinformed reviews here, I entreat you to read the story not as a political satire, social commentary, or any other such nonsense, but as a tribute to a worldly and fascinatingly accomplished feline who, more than even Dr. Bulgakov himself, has been severely and wrongly maligned through a sad misinterpretation of the facts so clearly at hand.--Behemoth

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA is one of my favorite books and I read it at least twice each year. I think it's the best book of "protest literature" ever written and it is surely unique.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA opens near Patriarch Ponds. Two writers (Berlioz and Bezdomny) are sitting on a bench discussing their view of Jesus, in whom they do not believe (this is Stalinist Russia, remember), when they are approached by a stranger named Woland, who tells them that Jesus is indeed real and that he (the stranger) was even present at Jesus' death. Of course Berlioz and Bezdomny don't believe him so, to prove he is telling the truth, Woland (who is really someone else entirely, but I won't say who), goes so far as to predict the manner in which Berlioz will die.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA is actually made up of three intertwining narratives (the story of Woland, the story of Pilate and the story of a writer called The Master). The first chapter introduces the first narrative, while the second chapter introduces the second narrative and we travel back in time to Yershalaim, or Jerusalem, where Yeshua Ha-Nozri, or Jesus, is standing trial before Pontius Pilate. This narrative isn't Jesus', but Pilate's. Pilate likes Jesus and so he's upset when Jesus admits to all he's been charged with and he (Pilate) becomes even more distraught after Jesus' death.

The third chapter of THE MASTER AND MARGARITA introduces the third narrative, that of the writer called The Master. Ivan the Homeless, another writer (who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Woland), has just been taken to a mental asylum run by a man called Dr. Stravinsky. In the asylum, Ivan meets the man known as The Master who has been writing a story in which Pontius Pilate is the central figure, the story of the second narrative. The Master loves more than writing, however. He also loves a beautiful, young Muscovite named Margarita, who, though married, loves him in return but can't, at the moment, locate him.

Margarita becomes involved with Woland and the narratives begin to intertwine even more. Woland, who, with his accomplices Azazello and Behemoth, has come to Moscow to host a grand ball, and he chooses the beautiful Margarita as his hostess. The chapters detailing the ball, to which only the most sinful and corrupt have been invited, are hilarious. I can't possibly give away the ending, but I will tell you the narrative begin to merge and the ending involves the granting of a wish.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA is, in my opinion, one of the most flawless books ever created. I think the way in which Bulgakov intertwined the three narratives is absolute genius. As far as creativity and originality go, I think the only book that can possibly equal this one is Nabokov's LOLITA.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA is, of course, a satire of Stalinist Russia and, because it is, I am sure there are many points in it that I've missed even though I've read it several times and will surely read it many more. I think, the more the reader knows about Stalinist Russia, the more he or she will gain in reading this book. But don't let a lack of knowledge stop you from picking this book up. It's simply too good to pass up no matter what. If you feel you need it, I think a study guide would help greatly. I haven't used one as yet, but I think I'm going to, the next time I read the book.

There simply aren't enough superlatives when describing this wonderful book. It's a masterpiece of the highest order, a tour de force, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At times, the book is madcap hilarious, but ultimately, it is quite sad. It is like nothing I have ever read before and I would certainly recommend it to all readers who are serious about expanding their literary horizons.

Despite a horrid pun, Master and Margarita is a masterful work and my favorite of Bulgakov's works. In addition to sardonic humor of the literary circles in russia, a vodka-drinking tom-cat, and naturally a devil's ball--one has to admire the political and opinionated nature of the author. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in reading Russian literature and who enjoys heavy, thought-provoking humor. Note that this is not an easy book to read, but rather a book for an intellectual to take to the beach.

The supernatural Woland, Azazello, Koroview and the black anthropomorphic cat Behemoth visit Moscow in the 1930s, creating a series of paranormal events that leave the reader reeling with laughter and shock. The supernatural powers play with human pawns (sometimes aided by the "evil" human inclination) to comical and sometimes tragic ends. The supernatural forces are omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. The humans are duped into seeing what does not exist, teleported to Yalta, intimidated, assaulted, turned into ghouls (against their will), they strike up an involuntary chorus, etc... It is thoroughly humorous. The plot spans multiple realms and timelines. There are spin-off stories that lead nowhere and others that are tied back into the main story line. There's the story of the struggling writer (the Master) and his soul-mate (Margarita). The Master has a revelation and writes an epic novel. The novel is a new perspective on the events said to have occurred in ancient Judea circa 33 CE. The story within the story is that of the 5th Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate and the wandering philosopher Yeshua Ha-Nozri. The book takes us to otherworldly realms, a midnight satanic ball, a witches coven, ancient Yerushalaim, an insane asylum, the air space above Moscow and several Moscow haunts. I found the beginning discussion of comparative religion (the occurrence of the immaculate maiden giving birth to a god in Eastern religions) and philosophy (the proofs of the existence of God proposed by Kant, Immanuel and Strauss) interesting. Although this is a work of fiction, after reading it, I am less apt to dismiss the existence of dark angels or evils spirits (Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Belial, Baal, Molech). Keep in mind that this work casts a harsh light on the atheistic intellectual outlook of the former Soviet state. This book languished for many years (censured by the Stalinist state) and was published after the author's death.