The Master and Margarita
core novel 1967 The Master and Margarita
Record
| First published | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  RU |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.28 (447,924 ratings, collected 2026-08-30) |
| Page count | 372 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780140455465 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
In 1930s Moscow, the Devil appears disguised as a foreign professor named Woland and unleashes a wave of supernatural chaos among Soviet citizens who officially disbelieve in his existence, exposing the greed, cowardice, and corruption of the literary and bureaucratic elite he encounters. Interwoven with this satirical plotline is the story of the Master, a despairing writer confined to an asylum after the failure of his novel about Pontius Pilate's fateful encounter with the wandering philosopher Yeshua Ha-Notsri, and Margarita, his devoted lover, who becomes entangled in Woland's schemes in the desperate hope of being reunited with the man she loves.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Master and Margarita
- Series: The Master and Margarita core; position 1 of 1 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Mikhail Bulgakov
Notes
- From the series record (The Master and Margarita): Mikhail Bulgakov's single novel, written 1928-1940 and published posthumously (censored) in 1966-1967, complete uncensored in 1973; a satirical fantasy in which the Devil visits Soviet Moscow, interwoven with a novel-within-the-novel retelling Pontius Pilate's judgment of Yeshua. Multiple complete English translations exist (Mirra Ginsburg; Diana Burgin & Katherine Tiernan O'Connor; Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky; Hugh Aplin).
Sources
- Wikipedia: The Master and Margarita
- Mikhail Bulgakov: English Bibliography (masterandmargarita.eu)
- Penguin Random House: The Master and Margarita
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