The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from the Russian by Mirra Ginsburg
London: Picador Classics, 1989 (first published 1966 in Russian, 1967 in English)
ISBN 0330307401
Wow! It's taken me more than twenty years after first hearing of this novel to finally get around to reading it and I can't decide if my reaction is one of "it was worth the wait", or "why did I wait so long?" Both statements are true, and I can see why this book is popular with all readers, not just literary types: it's a rollicking story, as well as a book that contains much meaning.
I suppose the ultimate question is - what is this book about? Well like all classics The Master and Margarita is about life and death: how we live and what we believe. The main narrative is high farce - Satan comes to Moscow with his cronies to cause mischief and to find a Margarita to be queen of his full-moon ball. Preying on the natural vices of the people who encounter him, he not only causes mayhem with his magic show, but also manages to find his queen. Running alongside this story is Bulgakov's retelling of the final hours of Jesus, from the viewpoint of Pontius Pilate.
As with all great works, this brief recitation of the narrative is to sell this book short. The translator notes in her introduction that the tone throughout the book shifts with the subject matter (something I think she has replicated well in her translation). When we are "dealing with the Devil" the tone is very fluid: moving quickly from farce to fear, from humour to horror. When we read about the Master and Margarita we feel the tenderness of the love they have for one another. And when we read Pilate's story we are touched by grandeur, and the longing of a guilty man who wishes to be healed.
We have to ask ourselves the question of why Bulgakov ties these stories together... it is a question that I think has many potential answers, but here are my thoughts. Quite clearly there is a level of satire directed at Soviet society of the thirties in particular (when this book was written), but which is equally applicable to any society at any time. Those who lack basic goodness are pilloried, as is the corporatized nature of society. The treatment of the Arts - Literature especially - is shown for what it is: those of lesser talent that "toe the party line" get further ahead than those who follow their talent to wherever it might take them.
The character of Satan-Woland of course uses these weaknesses of human character to cause strife: Bulgakov has much fun with these scenes but often gives the reader a sharp prick of conscience when a farcical scene ends in tragedy. The dissonance of Koroviev and Behemoth making light of someone being dismembered by a streetcar brings us face-to-face with the horror of evil - drawn from small evils to greater evil, and how one can quickly become the other. I wonder if Bulgakov was not also showing the reader how a society that loses its beliefs loses the core of its being, and becomes prey to not only the little evils, but the big ones as well.
The Jesus story is a counter to this. While we have no idea what is happening as the Moscow narrative unfurls before us, we are all know what is happening in first-century Jerusalem, even if this version is from a different viewpoint: God is sacrificing himself for us. In Pilate we see a man searching for the love and forgiveness of God, coming to an understanding that to follow God and be at one with him should be the goal of life. These Pilate sections are in sharp contrast to Woland's antics, and ultimately throw the shallowness of evil into high relief - very clever writing.
And The Master and Margarita? Perhaps I understand this section of the novel less than the others. Certainly it's a love story, and it could be that Margarita's willingness to sell herself to Satan for the sake of her Master is a sign that true love can conquer any trial. Personally I can't quite reconcile Margarita's enjoyment of her time as a witch and her final fate to be with the Master for eternity, with her embracing of Woland. Perhaps Bulgakov is showing us that in the face of true love even evil is powerless? I'm not sure it really works - for me, at least.
That aside, The Master and Margarita is an absolute romp: Bulgakov has had a lot of fun writing this book, both in his imagination, and playing with the mores of his time, while still grappling with the big question of God, and his place in our lives. No doubt a classic - my one regret taking so long to get it under my belt.
Cheers for now, from
A View Over the Bell
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