Book Review: The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What happens when the Devil and his fiendish retinue arrive in an atheistic worker’s paradise and anyone who gets in their way? The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov is a magical realism novel that takes mid-1930s Soviet culture to task along with his commentary in his own experience as a writer during that era.

The fact that Bulgakov never technically finished the book to his satisfaction before his death and yet it’s a fantastic read is incredible. The fact that the Devil goes to Moscow, challenges the religious beliefs of the populace or lack thereof, and judges their behavior is a perfect satire by the Soviet author against the official atheistic stance that supposedly prevailed in the nation at that time is pure satire. The Devil’s actions, under the pseudonym of Dr. Woland, and that of his retinue cause various levels of mischief that sometimes reaches malevolence from sudden trips to Crimean resort towns, finding yourself possessing illegal foreign currency, getting decapitated then having your head reattached, and finally dying in over the top ways. The fact that the titular characters are only in essentially half the novel and it being the second half is a great bait-and-switch as I didn’t mind falling the misadventures of the retinue, especially Behemoth. While I call this magical realism, it could also be a satirical dark comedy with supernatural elements, or an out-of-left field meditation of Christian philosophy, or anything else one can think of, regardless of the genre it’s a good read.

The Master and Margarita is one of the greatest works from the Soviet era and given how Mikhael Bulgakov was treated throughout his life during the Stalinist era, it just shows the sometimes surreal whims of Soviet authorities.

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