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Michael Finocchiaro's Reviews > Le Maître et Marguerite
Le Maître et Marguerite
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by
Michael Finocchiaro's review
bookshelves: fiction, russian-20th-c, classics, read-in-en-and-fr, favorites, novels, stalin, magical-realism
Jul 16, 2016
bookshelves: fiction, russian-20th-c, classics, read-in-en-and-fr, favorites, novels, stalin, magical-realism
Read 2 times. Last read December 4, 2020 to December 11, 2020.
This book by Bulgakov is a miracle - a magical text of incredible imagination that miraculously did not get its author shipped out to a gulag and forgotten. Miraculous that the book made it out of Stalinist Russia for our enjoyment. Miraculous as it is a work of sublime beauty and a fitting 20th C Faustian story. A must-read to understand a slice of reality under a totalitarian government. The writing is engaging and highly imaginative. I need to reread this one again!
Just rereading tonight and loving the Pontius Pilate / Yeshua episode. As far as reinterpreting and reimagining a biblical story, it is funnier than KOK’s A Time for Everything and almost as profound as Dosto’s Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov. I love how the book shifts effortlessly from one absurd situation to the next. Amazing writing.
Just rereading tonight and loving the Pontius Pilate / Yeshua episode. As far as reinterpreting and reimagining a biblical story, it is funnier than KOK’s A Time for Everything and almost as profound as Dosto’s Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov. I love how the book shifts effortlessly from one absurd situation to the next. Amazing writing.
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Reading Progress
December 20, 2007
–
Started Reading
December 31, 2007
–
Finished Reading
July 16, 2016
– Shelved
July 19, 2016
– Shelved as:
fiction
November 13, 2016
– Shelved as:
russian-20th-c
November 13, 2016
– Shelved as:
classics
November 13, 2016
– Shelved as:
read-in-en-and-fr
November 14, 2016
– Shelved as:
favorites
November 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
novels
December 4, 2020
–
Started Reading
December 11, 2020
–
Finished Reading
January 20, 2022
– Shelved as:
stalin
January 20, 2022
– Shelved as:
magical-realism
Comments Showing 1-28 of 28 (28 new)
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Agreed Jonathan! And yes, I love Russian literature
There were moments when this reminded me of Gogol's comical absurdities. I wouldn't be too surprised if The Nose up and appeared in Master and Margarita.
Agreed Nocturnalux! The absurdity in some Russian writers is sublime - especially in Gogol and Bulgakov but also Dosto has some wonderfully absurdities
A dark comical Russian book of both horror & fantasy with odd twists. This classic of fantastic literature
I need to reread it and write a longer review!
Thanks Jenna and Amanda - now I have to reattack this one!
Agree with your review..Dark Souls next?
Hmm, maybe. It’s good?
Michael wrote: "Hmm, maybe. It’s good?"Pretty good.
By Bulgakov you mean?
Ah, such a grand book. Beloved by many Russians.And naturally I owned a cat named Behemoth.
Michael wrote: "By Bulgakov you mean?"Its Gogol, actually.
Sookie wrote: "Michael wrote: "By Bulgakov you mean?"Its Gogol, actually."You mean Dead Souls? Yes, that was an excellent book. Read it years ago. Should have posted a review here. Gogol has a similarly dark sense of humor. I think Dead Souls was more macabre and, to be honest, less well-written than Margarita but then art is subjective, right?
Bryan wrote: "Ah, such a grand book. Beloved by many Russians.And naturally I owned a cat named Behemoth."@Bryan, that is totally Hilarious! Sounds like a YA title: A Cat Named Behemoth. Or maybe an emo band name...
Michael wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Ah, such a grand book. Beloved by many Russians.And naturally I owned a cat named Behemoth."@Bryan, that is totally Hilarious! Sounds like a YA title: A Cat Named Behemoth. Or maybe..."
Heh. Now to write it and cash in.
Michael wrote: "I need to reread it and write a longer review!"Loved this short review too. And I am glad it was short because I will soon be reading an English translation by Burgin and O'Connor. And I'll then come back to read your longer review. :D
The book was posthumous which is why Bulgakov was not shipped. Stalin saw and loved a performance of "The White Guard" which for many years helped keep Bulgakov out of jail.
Ah ok, that makes sense.
A powerful book exploring several themes the most important of which, in my opinion, is responsibility as well as corruptibility of art. A must-read for any established or beginner writer.
Unique.