Author Mikhail Bulgakov burned the manuscript for this book in 1930, only to later rewrite it. The line "Manuscripts Don't Burn" later became an immortal line uttered by his fictional novelist the Master. Master and Margarita was not published until 1966, nearly thirty years after it was written.
Most books leave me with a good taste, and like a good meal, I move toward the next one with a full stomach that is soon needing to be filled. A few books stay with you and are digested slowly, asking to be read again to savor the experience.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is just such a book.
Considered by some to be the finest novel to come out of the Soviet Union or even of all time in the world, it continues to provoke conversation and speculation regarding the encoded meanings within its pages. The high art of textual subterfuge toward Soviet and totalitarian society reaches it apogee here. Imagine writing political or social satire in an environment where that could mean a death sentence.
After discovering a great new multi-language
website devoted to the book, I am going to revisit the it. This site, published by a true fan, delves into context and meaning and takes you to sites within the novel, (like the
Cafe Margarita ) near the site where the book begins. It also keeps up with current connections and recent news linked to the the immortal work. The photo below of a
sign posted recently near Moscow's Patriarch's Ponds, warns visitors to "not talk to strangers". There are several English language translations of the work that each offer something different. If you have never read this fine book, this website is a great place to get started. One day, it would be great to read it in the origianl Russian and experience it as it was meant to be read.
The book is filled with absurd elements that add to the fun. The absurdism that suffuses the book is reflective of a larger absurdism that existed during the Stalinist era. Abusurdism reigned supreme during Stalin's time. This was a society where the normal rules of life were thrown aside and turned upside down. People often lived in fear of knocks on the door in the middle of the night There is an apocryphal story of a couple that were terrified when they heard a knock on their door in the middle of the night. They went to the door expecting officials of the NKVD to spirit them away for unknown reasons never to return. Upon opening the door, they sighed with relief upon learning that the reason they were awakened was because the building was on fire.
If you are looking for a compelling summer read, full of both surface and hidden satire, the Master and Margarita is worth a look.
Author Mikhail Bulgakov burned the manuscript for this book in 1930, only to later rewrite it. The line "Manuscripts Don't Burn" later became an immortal line uttered by his fictional novelist the Master. Master and Margarita was not published until 1966, nearly thirty years after it was written.
Most books leave me with a good taste, and like a good meal, I move toward the next one with a full stomach that is soon needing to be filled. A few books stay with you and are digested slowly, asking to be read again to savor the experience.
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is just such a book.
Considered by some to be the finest novel to come out of the Soviet Union or even of all time in the world, it continues to provoke conversation and speculation regarding the encoded meanings within its pages. The high art of textual subterfuge toward Soviet and totalitarian society reaches it apogee here. Imagine writing political or social satire in an environment where that could mean a death sentence.
After discovering a great new multi-language website devoted to the book, I am going to revisit the it. This site, published by a true fan, delves into context and meaning and takes you to sites within the novel, (like the Cafe Margarita ) near the site where the book begins. It also keeps up with current connections and recent news linked to the the immortal work. The photo below of a sign posted recently near Moscow's Patriarch's Ponds, warns visitors to "not talk to strangers". There are several English language translations of the work that each offer something different. If you have never read this fine book, this website is a great place to get started. One day, it would be great to read it in the origianl Russian and experience it as it was meant to be read.
The book is filled with absurd elements that add to the fun. The absurdism that suffuses the book is reflective of a larger absurdism that existed during the Stalinist era. Abusurdism reigned supreme during Stalin's time. This was a society where the normal rules of life were thrown aside and turned upside down. People often lived in fear of knocks on the door in the middle of the night There is an apocryphal story of a couple that were terrified when they heard a knock on their door in the middle of the night. They went to the door expecting officials of the NKVD to spirit them away for unknown reasons never to return. Upon opening the door, they sighed with relief upon learning that the reason they were awakened was because the building was on fire.
If you are looking for a compelling summer read, full of both surface and hidden satire, the Master and Margarita is worth a look.
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