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The Master and Margarita
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The Master and Margarita
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The Master and Margarita
Audiobook (abridged)8 hours

The Master and Margarita

Written by Mikhail Bulgakov

Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

The Master and Margarita is one of the most famous and best-selling Russian novels of the twentieth century, despite its surreal environment of talking cats, Satan and mysterious happenings. Naxos AudioBooks presents this careful abridgement of a new translation in an imaginative reading by the charismatic Julian Rhind-Tutt. With War and Peace and Crime and Punishment among the Naxos AudioBooks best-sellers, this too promises to be a front title.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 1, 2009
ISBN9789629548308
Author

Mikhail Bulgakov

Mikhail Bulgakov was born in 1891 in Kiev, in present-day Ukraine. He first trained in medicine but gave up his profession as a doctor to pursue writing. He started working on The Master and Margarita in 1928 but due to censorship it was not published until 1966, more than twenty-five years after Bulgakov’s death.

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Reviews for The Master and Margarita

Rating: 4.171875 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Devil comes to Moscow over Passover. Set in 1930’s Moscow it’s a story of love and Soviet oppression of writers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The ending is sublimely beautiful the events leading up to it are not easy to keep track off so you'll need your wits about you. The double story or understory of Pontius Pilate was very well rendered.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was an AMAZING book! It was never slow or dwindled my interest. The plot is excellent and the prose that carries it through is truly extraordinary and lucid. The surrealist and comedic aspects are also a highlight.

    I recommend this to anyone interested in literature, Russian or otherwise.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Ugh. I’m so glad to be done with this. Maybe I just need to accept that Russian Literature is not for me. This book is bizarre. Chaos reigns when Satan comes to Moscow. I found the social commentary interesting, but I feel like I really missed the point of the Pontius Pilate chapters. There must have been something important there and I just didn’t get it. I struggled with the story early on, wondering what the point was of the tale, and was told by multiple people that things really pick up in Part II when we are introduced to Margarita. Sadly, the introduction of Margarita had the opposite effect for me. I did not like her character or her storyline. I much preferred the bizarre events of the first part of the novel. Overall, the writing was compelling. I am usually not afraid to bail on books, but this grabbed me and I NEEDED to finish. However, I did not enjoy it and I’m more relieved than anything else that it is finally over.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The book every Russian tells you to read.

    "let me introduce my retinue. That creature who has been playing the fool is the cat Behemoth."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This made me chuckle frequently. It's probably the most absurd book I've ever read. I mean the protagonist is Satan... that alone tells you a lot. I probably missed a lot of the political context, and I'm convinced the book will be even better once I get to re-read it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Exceptionally surreal, the physical crossroads of supernatural and everyday drama.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Full of excellence, yes, indeed, but not much in the way of reading pleasure. Getting through this felt like hard work. Somehow it persisted in feeling untranslated.And it's not as if I lacked all context: in addition to prior general knowledge, I'd read a book on Russian history and culture just before it. I'm not afraid of symbolism, allegory, philosophy, or ambiguity, and I usually favor fiction over nonfiction; but still, I think I preferred the straightforward language of the history book.I did, however, think the description of the witches' sabbath was both literally and figuratively fantastic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A wide-ranging story of the Devil's appearance in Moscow.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I don't know where to start, to be honest. This book was the one that got me properly hooked on 20th Century fiction, and my copy of it bears visible witness to how many times I've read it so far. I was given it as a birthday present about 10 years ago, and did not really know what to expect from it.But as soon as I picked it up, I could not put it down again. Bulgakov's vivid language and portrayals of both 1930's Moscow and Jerusalem in the days of Pontius Pilate are so vivid that you feel like a bystander watching the action. And when you add bizarre and entertaining events like Behemoth on the tram, it makes for something quite unique.I've recommended this book to dozens of people over the years, and the ones who take me up on it seldom regret it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My first foray into classic Russian literature. I didn't get it but I did. There's a loose plot, but it's more of an experience. Words can't describe how much I love the surrealism in this novel. Satanic balls! A talking black cat swinging across the room on a chandelier! Witches and the Devil! Lots and lots of havoc one spring week for the unsuspecting residents of Moscow.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was enthralled from the first page. When I finished the book I went online and read about Bulgakov and the history of the book. The next day, I started reading it again, something I've never done before. I kind of feel like I want to re-read this same book, and only this one, forever!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The devil went down to Georgia Moscow, he was looking for a soul to steal to satirize the Stalinist Soviet Union. Check.

    Bizarre, absurd, slap-stick, Kafkaesque, Celine-like, Dostoevsky-worthy, and the like. The adjectives and accolades and comparisons used to describe this book over the years are endless, including: "the greatest novel of the 20th century." Come on now. I've liked every Russian writer I've ever invited into my brain and Bulgakov is no exception, however, being witty or clever doesn't automatically place you in the echelon of literary greats. In my opinion it was a fine book, and the sections dealing with Pontius Pilate are magnificently written, but it wandered around so that I frankly had a difficult time keeping track of just what was happening to who and when. And the "wackiness" of the unexpected didn't quite go far enough to keep me sufficiently interested.

    I feel guilty for not enjoying this book as much as so many other people obviously have.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I adored this more than words can say: funny, poignant, whackily imaginative... Written by Bulgakov from 1928 to 1940, a first draft had been completed at the time of his death, but he was still in the process of editing it. Just the act of writing it was an act of courage and faith--because he knew it couldn't get past the censors. It finally appeared 27 years after his death in a highly censored version, with a more faithful and complete edition coming out in the late 1980s at the height of glastnost.It doesn't take long to understand what would have gotten Soviet powers-that-be riled. To say the novel is irreverent is an understatement. Satan is loose in Moscow, in a city that no longer believes in him or God. And no, this is not meant metaphorically in the least. Satan aka "Woland" has come with an entourage of a man in a checkered suit, a demon named Azazello and a giant talking cat who walks on his hind legs, wears a mustache, and rides streetcars--paying the fare natch. Madness and mayhem ensue, of course, but that doesn't begin to capture the charm of the novel, which sometimes reminded me of Rowling, sometimes Faust, sometimes Dante--particularly in the chapter "Satan's Grand Ball." The "Master" is a writer crushed by censorship and plain old censure of his masterpiece, a novel about Pontius Pilate, chapters of which are interspersed within the novel. Margarita is the woman who loves him and would do anything to save him. Meanwhile, in this Moscow people would do anything--not short of murder--for a prime apartment or sell themselves to the devil for a fine set of clothes. So you get this strange mix of slice of life of Soviet Russia under Stalin (even if heavily satirized) and the outright fantastical and even metafiction, given one of the themes is the artist and his creation being his only reward in a world hostile to both whimsy and bald truth alike. Another theme is definitely redemption. If love has such a power in a world where God may or not be in charge, then it's perhaps because "the one who loves must share the fate of the one he loves" and that draws mercy to the less deserving of the pair. Maybe. It's not as if it's easy to derive cozy little morals wrapped in a bow. It's not that I think the style or the plot is ambiguous--but the meaning sure is. But even if I was left unsure of the destination Bulgakov was driving at, I sure enjoyed the journey.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A book to read and reread. There is so much in this book that you can't absorb it all the first time. Bulgakov's descriptions are so vivid that you can see them well after you have read the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This goes in my bucket of 'great' books that I know meant more than what I gleaned from reading it, but I didn't quite get. How to describe this one? It's a story that bounces back and forth in time from the crucifixion of Christ to Soviet Russia during the 1930's. It has elements of Dante's inferno and making a deal with the devil. Pieces of this story were amazingly descriptive and beautifully written, but I am embarrassed to say that much of this book was way over my head. If I had to draw a simple outline of what happened in this book, I'm not sure I could write something that was even slightly coherent. Definitely in the pile of books to read again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A bit of a head trip that requires some background on the author's political situation in the USSR and the overall period, but certainly original, lyrical, visual and unforgettable. Worth reading a second time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was compelled to read this novel after seeing it listed as one of the great works of the 20th century. My exposure to Russian literature has not been extensive--two novels by Dostoevsky and some shorter pieces by other authors--and I had not read any Russian literature of the Soviet era. A greater understanding of both Russian literature and a pretty deep understanding of Soviet politics will greatly aid the reader in appreciating the nuances and ironies of Bulgakov's work. This is made clear by reading the annotations and Afterword at the end of this translation (Vintage International).Even without these deeper understandings, however, this is an enjoyable book. The translation, by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor, reads smoothly. It is not a difficult book to read and to appreciate, at least on a surface level. It tells the story of Woland, the devil, who goes to Moscow to stir things up a bit. Although, as the reader will see, not all his acts are devilish, and by the end of the book the border between good and evil is quite blurred. The title characters, the Master (a writer) and Margarita (his devoted lover, married to someone else) don't appear until the middle of the book, which at that point turns from a satire on life in Moscow (e.g., the writers' union, trying to get an apartment) to a fantastical story of flying through the air, the devil's Grand Ball, and other weird happenings. Throughout the novel, Bulgakov intersperses chapters of the Master's book about Pontius Pilate. These are written in a much different style and tell an alternate version of the condemnation and crucifixion of Christ, with the focus being on Pilate's guilty conscience after the event. These chapters conjure up a very convincing picture of the uncomfortable juxtaposition of the occupying Roman troops and the Jewish community of Jerusalem, and of the extreme heat that pervades the narrative. Connecting these disparate parts of the book together is something that for the most part eluded this reader, although the annotations and Afterword do help. One emerges after reading the whole package with an admiration for Bulgakov, who worked on this book almost until his death in 1940, knowing that it had no chance of being published until many years after he was dead, if at all. His style, at least in translation, is engaging and humorous, although I would not call the book "hilarious" as the blurb on the front cover does. The humor here, although it may verge on slapstick, is always played out against an atmosphere of paranoia that makes one afraid to laugh out loud!Most reviews I have read say that this edition has the most complete and accurate translation. I'm in no position to judge, but as I said earlier, it reads very well. It does seem that the publisher was trying to save paper, however. The main text is printed in a font that is on the small side, with some pages having a line of text that is for some reason compressed (which seems to be a printing error). The annotations and Afterword are printed in text so small that some readers will probably require a magnifying glass! I'm happy to say that I didn't have to resort to that.Overall, I'm quite happy to have read this book, and parts of it will stick in my memory. At some point, I might try another of Bulgakov's works--but given how much there is left to read in this world, and my lack of the specialist understanding to fully enjoy this book--maybe not.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first half of this book was a hard slog, I didn't really enjoy it all that much. Too much madness, too much Caprice. What kept me going was imagining that all this was a parallel of Stalinism, even though there is a lot of that going on in the novel as well. Whereas the overt references to Stalinisn were kept minimal and understated, the Satan/ Woland stuff could afford to be outrageous. The second half, roughly from around when Margarita flies away from Moscow, takes on an entirely different tone, all the dread slowly evaporates, and this happens the closer we get to Satan. And you find that other than some great mischief, very little lasting harm has been done. The Investigation absolves most of those punished and allows them to begin again (few can go back to the way things were). Which probably also means something, but really the whole era is too far out of my knowledge base, I'm just guessing.As a story, the titular relationship takes a long time to come to the fore, and there is a lot of stuff that seems important but turns out not to be, which gets in the way in the beginning. Nothing is taken too seriously, many things are made to be farcical, and in the end burnt, so the book seems insubstantial.So, I like many parts of it. Once I got the hang of it. But that arrives too late.So, 3.5 stars oc. On a second read, most likely after someone convinces me to do so, I'll probably rate it higher. But not til then.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Now I know how the Krakow bookshop 'Massolit' got its name! Anyway, I knew so little about the plot of The Master and Margarita that I was able to let it wash over me, and even now, several months later, I can say that many of the most important events are as fresh as they were on first reading - the sign of a true classic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was a baffling book, with allusions and situations that often went over my head. Someday when I have some free time I'll have to read it again with a guide.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Best fantasy book ever written!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was slow at first, and I had a hard time getting into it, but I agree with Gerard that it picks up in the second half. I really enjoyed the parts with Margarita and her dramatic evening, but wasn't as into the sections on Pontius Pilate or the havoc Woland wreaked in Moscow.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I just love this book..
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book! This was witty and I loved getting a glimpse of Russian life during Stalin's regime. The characters and scenes are vivid and very thought provoking! I would definitely recommend this if you like satire and/or literary books!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Surprisingly different to what I expected. The parts set in Russia with Woland, Koroviev, Behemoth, and Azazello are playful and fantastic in the old-fashioned sense, whereas the parts set in Palestine are sober, descriptive, and intense. And it's all very interesting and gripping, or at least it was to me. The imagery was surprisingly familiar for a book from the 1930s: I am starting to wonder if many of the things I've seen on TV and in movies are partly inspired by events from this book, particularly the antics of Koroviev.And all the Russian surrealism and dark fantasy aside (the ball is just plain scary), the Palestinian scenes show how skilled a writer Bulgakov is (and the translators too), because they strike a completely different tone, and yet fit in very well with the rest of it. I'll bet that in thirty years I'll be thinking to myself, what on earth was that book about Pontius Pilate??!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It took me forever to read the Master and Margarita. Mostly because I didn't know much about Stalinist Russia in the 1930's and had to stop reading to reference something several times. However, it is definitely worth reading.

    I mean Satan and his minions are wrecking havoc all over Moscow, witches are flooding apartment buildings, pigs are literally flying, vampires are running around, unsuspecting citizens are being teleported to Yalta, women are prancing around Moscow in nothing but their underwear, and that's just the half of it. CRAZY right? Additionally, there is a love story that is truly unique and the story of Christ's death told from the side of Pontius Pilate. You wonder why it took me so long to read? That is a lot to take in!

    What's amazing about Bulgakov's novel is that he captures the fear and frustration citizens must have been experiencing in the Soviet Union in humorous, creepy, and strange ways. I think the theme that spoke to me the most was censorship. Religious censorship plays a huge roll in this story. All of the problems started with a character disputing the existence of Jesus and Satan to the Devil himself. Satan of course uses censorship to his advantage and shows just how absurd the human race truly is. Additionally, literary censorship is felt heavily throughout the novel and Bulgakov's frustration and anxiety are felt.

    Overall, The Master and Margarita is a fantastic, unusual tale forcing us to realize that nothing or no one should be able to tamper with our faith, creativity or growth, especially our government.

    Just remember, "manuscripts don't burn."

    P.S. I found this translation very good. Additionally, the notes in the back of the book were very helpful in explaining different aspects of culture of the Soviet Union that helped me grasp the importance of the story.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Classic, Russian Literature, Magical Realism
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Yeat another Russian author from whom I just can't seem to read enough. Fantastic and filled with satire, sarcasm and symbolism. A beautiful telling of tough times under the Old Communist Guard.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An enjoyable read though I think many of the levels of this novel went over my head. The social satire of 30s-40s Russian culture and people was fun and funny.