[.ca] 20th Century Master And Margarita (ISBN 0141180145)

From Amazon.com:
Surely no stranger work exists in the annals of protest literature than The Master and Margarita. Written during the Soviet crackdown of the 1930s, when Mikhail Bulgakov's works were effectively banned, it wraps its anti-Stalinist message in a complex allegory of good and evil. Or would that be the other way around? The book's chief character is Satan, who appears in the guise of a foreigner and self-proclaimed black magician named Woland. Accompanied by a talking black tomcat and a "translator" wearing a jockey's cap and cracked pince-nez, Woland wreaks havoc throughout literary Moscow. First he predicts that the head of noted editor Berlioz will be cut off; when it is, he appropriates Berlioz's apartment. (A puzzled relative receives the following telegram: "Have just been run over by streetcar at Patriarch's Ponds funeral Friday three afternoon come Berlioz.") Woland and his minions transport one bureaucrat to Yalta, make another one disappear entirely except for his suit, and frighten several others so badly that they end up in a psychiatric hospital. In fact, it seems half of Moscow shows up in the bin, demanding to be placed in a locked cell for protection. Meanwhile, a few doors down in the hospital lives the true object of Woland's visit: the author of an unpublished novel about Pontius Pilate. This Master--as he calls himself--has been driven mad by rejection, broken not only by editors' harsh criticism of his novel but, Bulgakov suggests, by political persecution as well. Yet Pilate's story becomes a kind of parallel narrative, appearing in different forms throughout Bulgakov's novel: as a manuscript read by the Master's indefatigable love, Margarita, as a scene dreamed by the poet--and fellow lunatic--Ivan Homeless, and even as a story told by Woland himself. Since we see this narrative from so many different points of view, who is truly its author? Given that the Master's novel and this one end the same way, are they in fact the same book? These are only a few of the many questions Bulgakov provokes, in a novel that reads like a set of infinitely nested Russian dolls: inside one narrative there is another, and then another, and yet another. His devil is not only entertaining, he is necessary: "What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?" Unsurprisingly--in view of its frequent, scarcely disguised references to interrogation and terror--Bulgakov's masterwork was not published until 1967, almost three decades after his death. Yet one wonders if the world was really ready for this book in the late 1930s, if, indeed, we are ready for it now. Shocking, touching, and scathingly funny, it is a novel like no other. Woland may reattach heads or produce 10-ruble notes from the air, but Bulgakov proves the true magician here. The Master and Margarita is a different book each time it is opened. --Mary Park

Which translation?:
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) \oISBN 0802130119\c. Simply the most readable. Read also her translation of "Life of a Dog." 2. Diana Burgin and Katherine O'Connor \oISBN: 0679760806\c. Conveys a wonderful sense of mood, especially in the Pontius Pilate chapters. 3. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1997) \oISBN: 0141180145\c. 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) \oISBN: 0679410465\c. 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.

Which translation?:
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) \oISBN 0802130119\c. Simply the most readable. Read also her translation of "Life of a Dog." 2. Diana Burgin and Katherine O'Connor \oISBN: 0679760806\c. Conveys a wonderful sense of mood, especially in the Pontius Pilate chapters. 3. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (1997) \oISBN: 0141180145\c. 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) \oISBN: 0679410465\c. 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.

Russian literature at its best:
My friend recommended this book to me, and what actually made me to buy it was because he considered it his favorite book of all time. I agree with him about that. It is an amazing book. Not only that, I developed an interest in the author's other works. Nevertheless, this is the best book written by Mikhail Bulgakov. It is an absolute masterpiece, a classic accepted in Russia and the rest of the world. "MASTER AND MARGARITA" is about purges Stalin ordered in the Soviet Union. The curious thing about this book is that the purges are depicted not to have been carried out Stalin's men, but rather by Satan himself, and in the manner of Baron Munchaussen, we get to know of a huge talking cat. Like animal farm, the greater meaning of the book is revealed through the intelligent though bizarre, compelling and humorous story. One is constantly left anticipating what the next page holds. There are so many layers and so many little details that one wonders how the author managed to put them together. Bulgakov is the Soviet version of Imperial Russia's Dostoevsky, but unlike Dostoyevsky who had a mastery of the mind/soul Bulgakov mastery is in the literature of oppression. I have recommended this book to many friends and family and recommend it to any reader interested in the enigma that is Russia, especially Stalinist Russia. Other interesting stories set in Russia are THE UNION MOUJIK,TARAS BULBA, PUTIN'S RUSSIA, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LENIN, WAR AND PEACE. Also note that you are sure to find the widest selection of odd and creepy characters in this book .

A Very Entertaining and Curious Novel:
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

Masterpiece.:
The Master and Margarita is sheer brilliance, a wonderfully paced allegory about Stalinist Russia, and where within that political framework the concepts of art, freedom, censorship, and evil stand. Despite being written in the early half of the 20th century and then translated to English, the humor spread throughout this tale is just as sharp as ever. I have read two separate translations, by Glenny and Pevear/Volokhonsky respectively, and I feel that the latter does a better job of conveying the novel's inherent satire. The author weaves a deceptively intricate story comprising of a re-imagining of Pontius Pilate's conviction and execution of Jesus, as well as a modern thread wherein the Devil and his retinue come to Moscow (and, of course, wreak mountains of havoc). Halfway through, we are further introduced to the story of the Master and his lover Margarita, an allusion to the trials Bulgakov himself faced as he penned this novel. It is this latter story that is the focus of the plot, although it is strongly supported by, and would be meaningless without, the parallel threads. The lines between Bulgakov's world and our own may not be straightforward or easily drawn, but the exercise of unpacking this novel is an extraordinarily enlightening one that everyone should experience. Years ahead of his time, Bulgakov touched on a number of potentially risky subjects (thus, the book's European ban that was lifted only in the 1970's) that deserve to be given serious thought.