Satan comes to Soviet Moscow in this critically acclaimed translation of one of the most important and best-loved modern classics in world literature.
The Master and Margarita has been captivating readers around the world ever since its first publication in 1967. Written during Stalinโs time in power but suppressed in the Soviet Union for decades, Bulgakovโs masterpiece is an ironic parable on power and its corruption, on good and evil, and on human frailty and the strength of love.
In The Master and Margarita, the Devil himself pays a visit to Soviet Moscow. Accompanied by a retinue that includes the fast-talking, vodka-drinking, giant tomcat Behemoth, he sets about creating a whirlwind of chaos that soon involves the beautiful Margarita and her beloved, a distraught writer known only as the Master, and even Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate. The Master and Margarita combines fable, fantasy, political satire, and slapstick comedy to create a wildly entertaining and unforgettable tale that is commonly considered the greatest novel to come out of the Soviet Union. It appears in this edition in a translation by Mirra Ginsburg that was judged โbrilliantโ by Publishers Weekly.
Praise for The Master and Margarita
โA wild surrealistic romp. . . . Brilliantly flamboyant and outrageous.โ โJoyce Carol Oates, The Detroit News
โFine, funny, imaginative. . . . The Master and Margarita stands squarely in the great Gogolesque tradition of satiric narrative.โ โSaul Maloff, Newsweek
โA rich, funny, moving and bitter novel. . . . Vast and boisterous entertainment.โ โThe New York Times
โThe book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative and poignant. . . . A great work.โ โChicago Tribune
โFunny, devilish, brilliant satire. . . . Itโs literature of the highest order and . . . it will deliver a full measure of enjoyment and enlightenment.โ โPublishers Weekly