Possibly one of the oddest books I have ever read, the Master and the Margarita took me quite a while to get through! I was lent it by a friend who insisted it was his favourite book, and I must admit that it took me a while to get into the somewhat bizarre story.
Where should I start...what an imagination! Set in 1930s Soviet Moscow, the Devil appears in the city, masquerading as a magician in one of the city's theatres causing havoc amongst the Russian literary circle and ultimately the city itself. Followed by an entourage of misfits, including a huge talking cat, the Devil's plans appear to wreak utter chaos among the populus. His story soon becomes entwined with that of the titular Master, a reclusive author of a novel about Pontius Pilate (which in itself becomes a secondary storyline set in the last days of Christ's life), and his lover, the Margarita.
Complete with a stunning cast of minor characters to rival even Dicken's work, The Master and Margarita is an example of political satire at its best, with humour and wit, yet bursting with the fantastical and with an air of the ridiculous. I am by no means an expert in Russian literature, and I imagine reading a good translation would be essential for enjoyment of this novel, which I felt was achieved with the Penguin edition. The characters are definitely the main allure of this strange story, with an amusing twist on the typical devious demons, loveable heros and plucky heroines. I will not pretend to have understood this entire novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and think I would benefit from a reread later once the shock and bewilderment has worn off! Any further description may put you off reading it, so I shall leave it at this...
Worth a read if you fancy something different!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Master and the Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
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6 comments:
I'm definitely always up for something a little different, and this is a book I've been curious about for quite some time. Your review encourages me to give it a try.
this does sound different, great review :)
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Nymeth and Naida - Thanks, my review certainly has not done this book justice!
This has been on my TBR for a long while. Like #10 on a list of 2000 or something :)
Amanda - It sat on my TBR pile for ages too, but I'm glad I finally got around to it. Hope you do too.
I read and re-read this book a thousand times. I can't imagine reading it in English though! I though about it, but for some reason it scares me. I just can't imagine how certain words / expressions would translate??
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