أخيرًا، كُسرت حلقة النحس مع الأدب الروسي.
الشيطان يزور موسكو، معه أتباعه، ربما يكون الشيطان وقورًا هادئًا لكن أتباعه لعوبين ماكرين، يريدون أن يسلوا أنفسهم.
يجلس الشيطان في غرفته، ويحوّل المدينة بأكملها إلى فوضى شنيعة، مسرحًا لألعابه الخبيثة.
الرواية مقسومة لجزئين، الجزء الأول عن زيارة الشيطان الغريبة لموسكو، العاصمة الكئيبة، يشيع فيها الفوضى والخراب، يقلّب الناس بعضهم على بعض، يكشف ويفضح ويظهر للبشر أسوأ ما فيهم. حكايات كثيرة ومتشعبة.
في الجزء الأول نعرف قصة المعلم، الروائي المغمور، الذي أحب بصدق، أحب وأصابه الجنون.
وفي الجزء الثاني نسمع قصة حبيبته مارغريتا، المخلصة الذكية، التي تضحي بكل ما تملك، وتلقي بنفسها في أحضان الشيطان، حتى تخلص حبيبها الوحيد.
وفي أثناء هذا وذاك، ينقلنا الكاتب العظيم إلى الماضي حيث يسوع المسيح وقصة الصلب وبيلاطس الحاكم غريب الأطوار.
رواية عظيمة جدًا جدًا.

این احتمالاً آخرین ریویوی من در گودریدز خواهد بود، خوشحال شدم مدتی رو اینجا کنار شما کتاب خوندم

و اما مرشد و مارگاریتا

کتاب از جایی شروع میشه که دو نفر در پارکی در مسکو نشسته‌اند و صحبت از غیر واقعی بودن شخصیت عیسی مسیح است که فردی به نظر آلمانی خودش رو وسط گفتگو میندازه و بحث رو به طرف وجود ابلیس می‌کشه و به نظر پیشگویی‌هایی برای اونها می‌کنه، این اولین خط داستانی این کتابه. دومین خط داستانی راجع به آخرین روزهای زندگی عیسی و دیدارش با پیلاطس و به صلیب کشیده شدنش هست. و سومین خط داستانی عشق مرشد و مارگاریتا است که در نهایت این سه خط به یک نقطه میرسه. داستان پر از نمادسازی و انتقاد از حاکمیت و حتی مردمه. کتاب سخت نیست اما تعدد افراد و اسامی و متفاوت بودن فصول از نظر زمانی باعث میشه تمرکز نسبتاً بالایی نیاز داشته باشه. کتاب عجیبیه و همین باعث میشه اصلا حس خستگی نکنید و مدام دنبال ادامه‌ی ماجرا بگردید. تجربه‌ی لذت بخشی بود. ه

I'm just going to let the sparrow take the wheel of this humble attempt to review a book that I cannot find the words to adequately define! The fox trotting sparrow that is. Haven't read this book yet? If you haven't, that isn't a spoiler, it's just a fantastical little paragraph and image that has stuck with me. Imagine...a sparrow dancing the foxtrot...and then pooping. Are you doing it? OK, now you're ready for this book.

I sure wasn't ready for what was in store for me. I struggled at first. And it's not that this is an especially difficult book; it's not. What was my downfall initially was a combination of my tendency to read too fast and eagerly and my complete ignorance of biblical characters and events. I stopped at around page 50 and did some background reading then started over. This time it was better. Not only better, but insanely mind bending head scratchingly WEIRD. I am so glad I read this in a group discussion. With so many intelligent minds swapping ideas and insights I was able to better grasp what I was reading and appreciate this book for the rich and complex masterpiece that it is.

This book is unlike anything I've ever read. Gold star for uniqueness, creativity and strangeness.

It very quickly, within the first few pages, successfully creates the atmosphere which remains throughout. An unnerving, foreboding, dreamlike, fuzzy, paranoid, off-kilter, eye squinting, confusing, lonely and chaotic feeling that never goes away. You never know what's coming next, and it keeps coming and doesn't let up.

To me, the nucleus of the story was the satire and rebellion against the oppression that was present in Bulgakov's time. In a nutshell this was a farcical and hilarious romp through a world of delicious absurdity, a distorted fun-house mirror reflection of Stalinist Russia. But gosh, it is so much more than that. To write a proper review of this is beyond me. How to even explain what it's like to read this? I mean, there's (view spoiler) and...and...all this is long after a walking talking gun toting cat strolls around wreaking havoc every couple of chapters. And there's this ball scene that is an insane mishmash of things that reminded me of a pool party (Cognac anyone?), a Masquerade ball and the orgy scene from Eyes Wide Shut, and I really don't appreciate anything reminding me of Tom Cruise's existence. It's really saying something when the least odd thing about that chapter was that the walking talking cat wasn't just a walking talking cat but that he was wearing a bow tie with no pants - because of course it would be weird for a cat to wear pants (Maybe Bulgakov always wondered, like I do, why Donald Duck wears no pants but in scenes where he comes out of the shower he has a towel wrapped around his waist?).

The female characters are naked most of the time. The character of Margarita occasionally has a black cloak thrown over her shoulders, but she's mostly nuddy too. Apart from the visual, obviously Bulgakov was giving a big fat middle finger to the restraints of the Soviet regime. Or he was just a perv. You decide.

The Master - He initially appears as a powerful and mysterious person, a writer and a strong presence. He's in love with Margarita and is full of passion and longing for her. Perhaps Bulgakov's death before he could finish editing this book explains the unevenness I noticed with his character. Towards the end he is merely a shell of his former self, he seemed dull and faded and barely there. Or maybe this was what happens to people. They get worn out and disillusioned. Maybe the Master is a representation of a once prosperous and lively society who dwindles and crumbles under Soviet rule. Maybe the Master is the people and Margarita is what happens when "the devil" gets involved. It's dazzling initially, those early stages of attraction and infatuation, the promise, the butterflies and pheromones, and then the cracks are revealed and suddenly it's not so bright and you were blindsided. And life as you know it is gone.

Margarita - Such a strong presence in the book. She doesn't appear until part two but she was involved in some of the wackiest plots and left such a lasting impression on me (again, that's saying a lot when there's a walking talking gut toting cat around!). Margarita was in no way an admirable or strong character. Her actions are motivated by love, sure, but once she gets that love back she becomes this desperate and needy person who seemed to me to be far more in love with the Master than he was with her. She's like that one friend who can't take the hint and I wanted to shake her and yell "Girl, he's just not that into you!". Their relationship starts of believably romantic and passionate and yet, by the end it feels off. The cat (devil/Margarita) goes after it's prey (the people/The Master) and the prey ( the people/The Master ) can't sustain (his)itself under the suffocating pressure of the rulers ( devil/Margarita ). See how it all just brilliantly ties together?!

Speaking of Margarita, the role of women in the book intrigues me. Nudity aside, they played roles that I noticed were violent and/or weak. (view spoiler)

Honorary mention to Behemoth, the shadiest feline in literature and also a constant source of delight throughout the book. I freakin' adored every sentence involving him.

The pages of this book are abundant with stunning imagery. We are constantly bathed in moonlight and silhouettes, burnt orange sunsets and blaring glares. The atmospheric nature of Bulgalov's writing really won me over, as well providing symbols of light and dark, day and night, good and evil. The book speaks to human weakness, human strength, sheep mentality, mind control, over powering forces, resistance and it's utterly entertaining, intriguing and thought-provoking. I know I'll pull this out in 5 years and read it again and discover dozens of things I missed. It's sadly still relevant today and probably will be in another 50 years. Though we like to think we're more enlightened as each generation passes, humanity seems to be on a infinite hamster wheel, learning very little and still blinded by the suns and the moons that shone over the characters in The Master and Margarita. And yet as dark and serious as Bulgakov's central message was I felt he carried with him hope. For the future of his country, his people and for mankind. Woland, the "evil force", the darkness, leaves us with the parting words "Everything will turn out right, the world is built on that" (p.382)

Well, we can only hope.

I’m getting out a frame, hammer, and some nails. I’ve just come across a beautiful piece of art and it should be displayed, right?!

Mr. Bulgakov has written quite a little stunner here

Books certainly have a vibe, like an album or a film. Well, at least the good ones do. This book, more than so many I’ve read this year, gave me such a great vibe; a complete feeling of freedom and openness to all possibilities.

I wouldn’t even try to summarize the plot of this book. Bulgakov’s writing and the characters coincide perfectly to create a different world. A world where you believe that all of these events could actually happen. It takes a lot to have someone suspend their disbelief to the point where the existence of a walking, talking cat is easily passed over, as it’s just another member of the family.

So, while some of the characters can be described as otherworldly, and some events could not happen in this “real world” we live in – Bulgakov’s wit and cleverness
keeps you engaged and enlightened.

A brief aside: I couldn’t help but think of Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors. A few people who’ve heard me say that told me, “oh, you should read Tom Robbins…” So, I did. I liked some of his material, but I do have critiques. The writing is not as authentic as Mr. Vonnegut’s. And though this Tom Robbins character has spun some interesting yarns, is it not possible that he is more than “inspired” by Mr. Bulgakov? Ultimately, we'll never know.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe out there! Don't forget to keep your head up and smell some roses here and there.

n  "What would your good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared?"n
― Mikhail Bulgakov

The intriguing cover gave nothing away, while the title made me long for a frosty drink on the beach. I hadn’t heard a whisper about this book before, unaware of the captivating discovery I was about to make. Like a multifaceted gem, each sparkling page of this fantastical Russian wonder drew me deeper into The Master and Margarita's brilliant world. I was soon running along the steamy streets of Moscow with a vibrant cast of characters, doing my best to keep up with their unbridled antics as they turned the city on its ear.

The story packs a magical realism punch with a capital ‘M,’ delicately infused with a tale of imperishable love. A recurring theme reminiscent of a Faustian bargain is served with a large side of comedy and a big black cat as a dining companion. Most of all, it was a joy to be immersed within the pages of this multilayered novel.

"Love leaped out in front of us like a murderer in an alley leaping out of nowhere, and struck us both at once. As lightning strikes, as a Finnish knife strikes! She, by the way, insisted afterwards that it wasn’t so, that we had, of course, loved each other for a long, long time, without knowing each other, never having seen each other…"

While I openly admit this won't be the book for everyone, The Master and Margarita will be one of my favorite reads of the year.

If beautifully written prose and a scrumptious yarn that knows no boundaries are what you are looking for, then you’ve come to the right place!

Thank you, Kevin Ansbro, for this fantastic buddy read!
Kevin's review

welcome to...THE MASTER AND MARCHARITA!

another excellent title + month pun, another paragon of literature added to my currently reading at the beginning of the month...you know what that means. IT'S ANOTHER PROJECT LONG CLASSIC INSTALLMENT (in which i read long classics segmented into smaller chunks over the course of a month to make them manageable). and this one is ordained from the heavens.

my friend asked me if i had ever read this book as we stood in the middle of a three-story barnes & noble and i said no and we looked down to see the one (1) copy left in the entire store.

so if i don't like it, i will be betraying not only my friend, but the universe itself.

let's get into it.


CHAPTER 1: NEVER TALK WITH STRANGERS
oh how i love when chapters have titles.

this book has 32 chapters, so it doesn't work PERFECTLY, but i'm incredibly brave and dedicated and it's pretty close, so. onward at roughly 1 chapter per day.

immediately this is so cool.


CHAPTER 2: PONTIUS PILATE
a fairly long and extremely jesus prequel-y second chapter is a damn bold move.

i see why people DNF this.


CHAPTER 3: THE SEVENTH PROOF
I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.

I WAS TOLD IT WOULD HAPPEN AND I DID NOT SEE IT COMING.


CHAPTER 4: THE CHASE
not as climactic as the title and the immediately preceding events and the overall vibe would make it seem.


CHAPTER 5: THERE WERE DOINGS AT GRIBOEDEV'S
for those moments when the plot has really kicked off and things are shocking and violent and high-stakes and you're like, "i wish i could be reading lengthy descriptions about restaurants and the group of writers that meet there right now."


CHAPTER 6: SCHIZOPHRENIA, AS WAS SAID
i feel prepared to say i have no idea what's going on.


CHAPTER 7: A NAUGHTY APARTMENT
this certainly didn't bring any enlightenment.


CHAPTER 8: THE COMBAT BETWEEN THE PROFESSOR AND THE POET
this was the most logical chapter yet. and it took place in an insane asylum.


CHAPTER 9: KOREVIEV'S STUNTS
out of the insane asylum and into the insanity.


CHAPTER 10: NEWS FROM YALTA
folks, i don't know how to tell you this, but...we are 5 days behind. sometimes procrastinating a project you completely made up and assigned yourself feels a lot like self-care.


CHAPTER 11: IVAN SPLITS IN TWO
let's be clear that there is nothing i would rather read about than a friend group involving a dark magic practicer, his weird annoying sidekick, and a cat. but can i not read about their trials and tribulations instead of alternating members of the russian public's reactions to them...


CHAPTER 12: BLACK MAGIC AND ITS EXPOSURE
i mean, this HAS to be good.
...
the real magic trick was me predicting this would be fun from title alone!!


CHAPTER 13: THE HERO ENTERS
no heroes, please...i'd like to spend some more time with our bad guys...
ah. the titular MASTER.


CHAPTER 14: GLORY TO THE COCK!
i mean...come on. it's too easy.


CHAPTER 15: NIKANOR IVANOVICH'S DREAM
i cannot for the life of me remember these russian-ass names. can you blame me? everyone's name has 11 consonants and 8 of them are Vs.


CHAPTER 16: THE EXECUTION
pontius again...i'm at a loss.


CHAPTER 17: AN UNQUIET DAY
now this is the kind of nonsense i can get behind. this is just magic and tomfoolery. i feel comfortable here.


CHAPTER 18: HAPLESS VISITORS
i still don't know what's going on but someone just hit someone else over the head with a roast chicken. so i have no complaints, really. how could i when literary genius is unfolding before me.


CHAPTER 19: MARGARITA
we're caught up AND we've checked both of our titular boxes. what a day.


CHAPTER 20: AZAZELLO'S CREAM
this chapter is dedicated in its entirety to describing the power of a nice lotion.


CHAPTER 21: FLIGHT
sometimes, as a woman, you have to run out of your house naked, become a witch, turn invisible, and start smashing windows. it happens to all of us.


CHAPTER 22: BY CANDLELIGHT
very cool to go to the devil's house and mainly be like, "oh sick, his chessboard has animated pieces." très stoic.


CHAPTER 23: THE GREAT BALL AT SATAN'S
the absolute must-attend event of the season.


CHAPTER 24: THE EXTRACTION OF THE MASTER
well. here they are. the titular duo, in the flesh, hanging out at the devil's house. and still i have no idea what this book is about.


CHAPTER 25: HOW THE PROCURATOR TRIED TO SAVE JUDAS OF KIRIATH
oh my god. more pontius.


CHAPTER 26: THE BURIAL
please, no...not more pontius...not more pontius in a long chapter on a day i don't feel like reading this...take mercy...


CHAPTER 27: THE END OF APARTMENT NO. 50
i'm sick today and i'm making it absolutely everyone else's problem, so...all i can say is that if this chapter so much as alludes to jesus christ's lifetime, mikhail bulgakov should live in posthumous fear.

oh my god.


CHAPTER 28: THE LAST ADVENTURES OF KOROVIEV AND BEHEMOTH
well, it happened. i finally got too tired of this book to go on and took a days-long break that included the entire end of march. happy april. let's finish this.


CHAPTER 29: THE FATE OF THE MASTER AND MARGARITA IS DECIDED
hard to imagine a scenario in which i spend as much time, as many pages, and as significant a portion of my mental health on two characters and care this little about their "fate."


CHAPTER 30: IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME!
crossing my fingers that the time in question is "time for this book to be fun again."
...i don't want to jinx anything, but...


CHAPTER 31: ON SPARROW HILLS
the nicest thing i can say about this one is that it's like two pages long.


CHAPTER 32: FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL REFUGE
i am like pavlov's dog, except instead of drooling i experience unfettered rage and instead of a bell ringing it's this f*cking book talking about pontius f*cking pilate again.


EPILOGUE
thank god.


OVERALL
there was a lot going for this book. talking cats. tomfoolery. dark magic. big parties. annoying people eating dinner. institutes for the mentally insane. decapitation. a woman becoming a witch. the devil himself.

but unfortunately none of it was enough to save itself from what was either a terrible, unforgivable translation (which, thanks to the unheeded warnings in the comments, i'm leaning towards) or a propensity to total nonsense.

for the first time in this project's somewhat considerable history, i did not have fun. what a bummer.
rating: 2.5

- أهلاً بكم الى ملحمة بولغاكوف، قمة عطائه الأدبي وأفضل اعماله، والمرحلة الأخيرة من نتاج عقله وقلبه متحدين.. الملحمة ذات الأبعاد الثلاثية (كما وجدتها)، والتي قدّم بولغاكوف فيها قراءة دينية جديدة، وسياسية واقعية، وغيبية مستقبلية رافعاً الأدب والأديب من مساره الإنساني البحت الى مراتب اخرى وفاتحاً لجدلٍ قد لا يروق للمتدينين ابداً!!

- البعد الأول، السياسة: يصوب بولغاكوف بندقيته الى النظام الماركسي الحاكم، بدءاً من الإلحاد الى الشك بالأجنبي (على انه عميل)، الى مجموعة الأدباء والشعراء الأغبياء والعقيمين (ماسوليت) الذين ترعاهم الدولة! الى الجهل المطبق في موسكو وعطش الناس للمال (مشهد العرض في المسرح)، الى الرشوة والتضليل ويكلل كل ذلك بالأعمال الأمنية التي كانت تجري في حينها في ظل ستالين (سنعود لستالين بعد قليل).

- البعد الثاني، الدين: يصوب بولغاكوف هنا مدفعاً على المعتقدات الدينية يبدأها على لسان السيد المسيح "هؤلاء الناس الطيبون ليسوا متعلمين على الإطلاق وقد بلبلوا ما قلته. وعموماً بدأت اخشى ان تستمر هذه البلبلة وقتاً طويلاً جداً. وهذا كله لأنه يدون اقوالي بشكل خاطئ" والتدوين يعود ل "متى" وهذا النسف يستهدف انجيل متى، ويكمل على لسان الشيطان"ينبغي ان تعلم ان شيئاً مما هو مكتوب في الأناجيل لم يحدث في الواقع قط"، لكنه يبقي على صورة المسيح كالتجسيد المطلق للحق وهذا سأربطه بالنهاية بما سبق وما سيلي.

- البعد الثالث، الغيب: إذا صح التعبير، ففي الرحلة الأخيرة يحصد "عزازيلو" روحي المعلم ومارغريتا ويأخذهما في رحلة الى السكينة، الى البيت الأبدي ليشكلا معاً "آدم وحواء" جديدين ولينتصرا لفكرة الحب الأبدي، حاملين معهما انجيلهما الخاص الا وهو رواية المعلم نفسها عن بيلاطس النبطي!

- بنظرة شاملة ماذا فعل بولغاكوف في هذه الرواية؟ بولغاكوف اتى بشيطان الى موسكو، ومعه بعض الأتباع، عرّى المجتمع الستاليني واظهر سيئاته، عرّج على القصص الدينية وسخر منها، رابطاً الإلحاد والإيمان الأعمى بنفس الحبل اي الجهل. لكنه اعطى صفات رحيمة للشيطان، فهو لا يفتل عبثاً، ��هو اكثر رحمة من الإنسان الحاكم (ستالين)، وهو على تواصل دائم مع الحق المطلق ( متّى يتواصل مع فولاند وينقل له رسائل السيد المسيح)، وهو لديه مسؤوليات معينة يقوم بها، ويذهب، وههنا ربط للعلاقة العضوية بين الخير والشر ووجوب وجود احداهما كيلا تنتفي الثانية! ومن هنا قد نستطيع فهم الهجوم الديني على الرواية بأنها تزين الدرب للشيطان وتهاجم الكنيسة!

بولغاكوف ايضاً يرفع من قيمة القصة، فيجعلها سابقة للدين (تدوينات الإنجيل) ويجعله قائماً عليها، فلا دين بلا قصة (او قصص بالمعنى الأصح)، لكنه يطوّر هذا النسق ويجعل من القصة كياناً قائماً مفصولاً عن الدين وغير مرتكز عليه (مرغريتا في غياب المعلم تقرأ القصة، وتزداد حباً) ومن ثم يعلي اكثر من شأنها حيث يأخذها المعلم الى داره الجديدة معه كإنجيله الجديد!

- في النهاية لا بد من الإشادة بالترجمة الراقية لهقال يوسف، الف تحية!

Russian writers of the old school are weird even when not trying, so when one of them is trying to be weird on purpose, making sense of the result can be . . . challenging. It took me a good long while to make heads or tails of this story, and I didn't succeed until well past the middle point or a bit less, when we finally get to meet the initial Master and then Margarita.

If it hadn't been a laughing ride until that point, it'd have been a chore. In general, books that introduce the main or titular characters this late aren't good and lose the reader too soon. Professor Woland is the funniest incarnation of the Devil I've ever read. He's not sinister or manipulative, evil or perverted, not in an obvious manner. He's so mild-mannered and well-spoken that you're convinced he's simply a middle-aged academic with a few screws loose who happens to believe he is the Evil One, and not actually old Satan in human form visiting the Soviet Union to tie up a few loose threads and settle scores. Until it's proven on-page and beyond a doubt who he really is, and there the weirdness begins.

The book itself is somewhat unpolished in a lot of parts, and has an unfinished feel to it, but it's thankfully been left in a state that doesn't affect readability. Oh, and if you don't think the cat is the best, you'll pretty much cruelly break your kitty's heart.

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.

What is this novel through which I've ambled?
Is it only that Doctor Bulgakov has rambled?
Or some heady, unearthly wine I've sampled?
Folks! I do believe that my brain has been scrambled!

When the Russians write, you do expect some gloom;
A lot of characters sitting around, awaiting doom:
And guys wandering about like Leopold Bloom -
Just marking time until they can enter the tomb...

But when on page one, you encounter the devil
Come to visit Moscow, wine, dine and revel;
With his motley crew of demons medieval -
You seriously doubt whether the author's on the level!

But there is no time to think or even take a breath
Before the dark one and team put you on meth
And take you on a trail of destruction and death -
- On each page, serious mayhem abideth!

People go crazy and become alcoholic,
Or on the streets in their birthday suit they frolic;
While some of them become deeply melancholic:
And the plot seems to be something quite diabolic -

But no; there is a poor writer who needs succour
For the wrath of Stalin at sometime he did incur:
Now the Master is in a bit of a chukker
With his unfinished novel, burnt up in rancour:

He is in the madhouse, without joy or hope,
Having almost reached the end of his rope:
When (surprise!) the horned one delivers the dope!
And with his loved one, the Master is assisted to elope -

And as Margarita and her lover are united,
In a tranquil domain, their love again ignited -
- the story of Pilate, the governor blighted
By one misstep, his whole existence benighted

That the Master has written; also finds its ending
With Pilate and Jesus friends, and moonward wending
And except for a Moscow subject to a rending
There is nothing much left that's in any way offending...

***

So what's the point? What does the author mean?
Through the three mutually intertwining story-streams?
There is Master and Margarita, and the devil and his team
Plus the story of Jesus with its altered theme;

Was Doctor Bulgakov being purposefully weird
To cock a snook at a regime which was universally feared?
The Moscow he portrays does seem to appear
With endless corruption, lust, and calumny smeared;

But since this fantasy would never have seen the light
In a country in the grip of the Stalinist blight:
We must conclude that even for the author to write
Such a satire, wouldn't have eased his plight;

So maybe it has got a deeper philosophic vein?
Something which lies buried, deep and unseen?
Which when brought up to the light, with its dazzling sheen
Would leave us gasping, as we find what it means?

To be truthful, I don't know, nor do I care!
Just blissfully happy to lounge in my chair,
And romp my way through this wonderful affair!
And my delight with other bookworms share...

This magical tale, unique and bizarre -
Cannot be scored anything less than five stars!

There are very few things I can say about this novel except it's Brilliant, Brilliant, Brillant. That, and I am afraid I'm a total fanboy of all Russian novelists and this one in particular.

And I thought Dostoyevski was good. Damn. This one is completely modern, absolutely unappreciated in his time, dead young, and hailed as one of Russia's most popular novelists. Ever. And for good reason. The satire, written in the 50's, lambasts Moscow's '30's and continues to be a threat to all Russia today. It became super popular in the 60's America and was the direct inspiration for The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.

Does this ring a few bells?

Let's get down to the reality of this novel a bit. The Master is the novelist writing about Jesus and Pontus Pilate. He falls in love with a woman, and she with him, and her name is Margarita. She becomes a witch. And in the meantime, we've got ourselves a total retelling of Job, a satire that raises the level of Cons to all new heights. *What? Moscow has CON-MEN?*

And of course, we have hard-drinking cats, the Devil, and Pontus Pilate running around Moscow, present day. Lots of action ensues, with decapitation, thugs running amok, plays that are really major shakedowns, rampant nudity, the walking dead, and the UTTER HORRIBLE TERROR that are all editors.

Did I mention I might have just found one of my favorite all-time books? Yeah. This here is gonna have to fight for room on my top 100 list of all time. Maybe it won't have to fight very hard. In fact, I might have to bump it up into the top 20 or maybe even top 10.

It's just that good.

I was reminded a lot of Neil Gaiman's American Gods in a very good way. I was also reminded of a lot of modern comic masterpieces. In execution, it's half-Noir and all literary despair in the other.

I'm in love. :) I wanna do a huge Russian kick now. Maybe re-read all the greats, and then head back to this one and revel away. :) Just. Wow.

“Encantado de conocerte / espero que adivines mi nombre / lo que realmente te despista / es la clase de juego que me traigo”, cantan los Rolling Stones en “Sympathy for the Devil”, un tema que parece haber sido compuesto especialmente por y para este libro.
¡Y qué libro tan genial! Cuando uno lee este tipo de novelas, entiende por qué se los denomina “libros de culto” y es que simplemente uno no puede dejar de sucumbir ante tanta perfección narrativa y literaria. Hay ciertos autores que alcanzan la gloria eterna como es el caso de Mijaíl Bulgákov cuando este tipo de joyas de la literatura mundial son amadas universalmente por lectores de todos los continentes.
Bulgákov, es dueño de una brillante dinámica literaria a la hora de narrar esta historia que en realidad se compone de un ensamble de tres, a saber, la visita del Diablo a la ciudad de Moscú, esa maravillosa historia de amor entre Margarita y el maestro y la novela que escribe el maestro sobre Poncio Pilatos, insertada dentro del libro y desperdigada en sendos capítulos.
Ahora bien, en primer lugar debo decir que ha sido una genialidad por parte de Bulgákov petrechar una historia tan amena, disparatada e hilarante como la visita del Diablo a Moscú. Será que siempre me atrajeron todos aquellos libros que tiene al Diablo como protagonista. Puedo notar también que todo lo que acontece en la ciudad y en la naturaleza de muchos de los personajes hacen referencia a la vieja sátira menipea, una de las vertientes desde la que se originaría la novela moderna según las ideas de algunos teóricos literarios.
Bulgákov elige inteligentemente tanto a los personajes como a su función dentro de la historia, ya que al Diablo lo llama Voland (Valand o Demonio en alemán) y con esto logra diferenciarse de otros famosos personajes de la literatura como puede ser el el Lucifer de El Paraíso Perdido de Milton o Mefistófeles del Fausto de Goethe, aunque da la sensación que tuvo ciertas influencias de este ya que el libro comienza con una frase del Fausto que anticipa lo que vendrá: “-Aún así, dime quién eres. / -Una parte de aquella fuerza que siempre quiere el mal y que siempre practica el bien”
Acompañan a Voland un infernal séquito demonios menores como Fagotto en el personaje de Koróviev, Behemoth, personificado en una especie de diábolico y enorme gato negro sin botas, Azazel en la figura del sicario Asaselo, con su colmillo saliente, la sensual y desnuda bruja Guela e incluso hay una breve aparición de Abbaddón, demonio exterminador a quien llama Abadona.
Todos estos terribles personajes se encargarán de realizar un verdadero alboroto comenzando por un ataque sistemático a élite de la sociedad literaria moscovita y su sindicato, la MASSOLIT a partir de que Voland y sus infernales ayudantes se instalan en el apartamento de Berlioz. Todo lo que sucede tiene la mezcla justa e ideal de absurdo, elementos fantásticos y sátira en donde nada desentona y a la vez, llevan la trama hacia adelante en forma fluida y constante. Esto se aprecia perfectamente en la función de magia negra que Voland y sus asistentes dan en el teatro del vodevil. Todo lo que allí dentro sucede tiene una sola finalidad para Voland (y Bulgákov): sacar al desnudo lo más bajo de la naturaleza humana, sus miserias, vicios e hipocresías; sobre todo al final de la función, cuando todo el público vuelve a su casa en una forma muy distinta de la que llegó al teatro.
Para llegar a semejante pandemonio al final de esa función es necesario incluir la mayor cantidad de elementos fantásticos y esto sucederá sobre todo cuando intervienen seres tan locos como el gato Behemot junto a Koróviev. Estos dos son una especie de inescrupulosos alborotadores, verdadero un tándem demoledor especialmente cuando están fuera del alcance de Voland. Ellos pueden hacer arder todo lo que está a su paso sin una pizca de remordimiento ya que a fin de cuentas, es su función.
Otra particularidad de la novela es la ridiculización que Bulgákov hace de las fuerzas de seguridad y esto incluye a los servicios secretos estatales, policía, investigadores y todo aquello que represente la ley y el orden.
Hay que aclarar que el autor fue perseguido por el gobierno soviético, lo que le llevó a quemar el manuscrito original borrador de esta novela en un horno (de la misma que el maestro hizo con la de Poncio Pilatos) y que recién vería la luz 26 años después gracias a su esposa, quien la terminó a partir de los papeles y borradores que quedaron su marido.
Veo también una similitud perfecta entre autor y el personaje del maestro y sostengo que para muchos autores ciertas veces les es casi imposible disasociar lo empírico de lo ficcional y creo que éste es un claro ejemplo.
La novela sobre Poncio Pilatos inserta dentro de El maestro y Margarita es básicamente eso, con la salvedad de que los nombres de Jesucristo, Judas Iscariote y otros fueron cambiados por Bulgákov con el propósito de relatar una historia apócrifa pero son una gran similitud a la de la condena y posterior calvario y crucifixión de Cristo, pero sobre el final tendrá una implicancia directa con Voland cuando, al principio del libro le dice a Berlioz e Iván Nikoláyevich Ponirev (Desamparado), quienes afirman que tanto Dios como el Diablo no existen, que él “estuvo allí”. Luego de esta charla ocurrirá algo que pondrá en marcha el argumento de gran parte de la novela.
En tercer lugar tenemos la historia de amor entre Margarita y el maestros, ídilio romántico que da nombre al libro y que llegará hasta los oídos del mismísimo Voland, quien le dará a ella la posibilidad de ser parte principal de una auténtica ”Noche de Walpurgis” en ese capítulo llamado “El gran baile de Satanás”. Pero eso es parte fundamental de esta historia que no voy a develar, puesto que para eso está Mijaíl Bulgákov y su libro casi perfecto (de hecho, me cuesta encontrarle defectos).
Una secuencia lógica de lectura me dice que, a la vista de la naturaleza de la historia narrada en este libro, yo debería continuar con la de otro ruso, Leonid Andréiev y su famoso “Diario de Satanás”, pero, como todavía no consigo ese libro tan sugerente (y seguramente maravilloso), comenzaré a leer el de uno de los más grandes escritores que dio mi país, Argentina, y que se llamó Leopoldo Marechal. Me refiero a “El Banquete de Severo Arcángelo”.