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    The Master and Margarita
    The Master and Margarita
    The Master and Margarita
    Audiobook16 hours

    The Master and Margarita

    Written by Mikhail Bulgakov

    Narrated by Julian Rhind-Tutt

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The Devil comes to Moscow; but he isn’t all bad. Pontius Pilate sentences a charismatic leader to his death, but yearns for redemption; and a writer tries to destroy his greatest tale, but discovers that manuscripts don’t burn. Multi-layered and entrancing, blending sharp satire with glorious fantasy, The Master and Margarita is ceaselessly inventive and profoundly moving. In its imaginative freedom and raising of eternal human concerns, it is one of the world’s great novels.

    Editor's Note

    Surreal & absurd...

    When the Devil arrives in Moscow, chaos follows. A surreal satire of Communism, Christianity, and the literati, Bulgakov’s masterpiece is also deeply moving and incredibly imaginative.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateNov 1, 2009
    ISBN9789629548292
    Author

    Mikhail Bulgakov

    Mikhail Bulgakov was born in 1891 in Kiev, in present-day Ukraine. He first trained in medicine but gave up his profession as a doctor to pursue writing. He started working on The Master and Margarita in 1928 but due to censorship it was not published until 1966, more than twenty-five years after Bulgakov’s death.

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    Reviews for The Master and Margarita

    4.5/5

    451 ratings196 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This was an AMAZING book! It was never slow or dwindled my interest. The plot is excellent and the prose that carries it through is truly extraordinary and lucid. The surrealist and comedic aspects are also a highlight.

      I recommend this to anyone interested in literature, Russian or otherwise.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Ugh. I’m so glad to be done with this. Maybe I just need to accept that Russian Literature is not for me. This book is bizarre. Chaos reigns when Satan comes to Moscow. I found the social commentary interesting, but I feel like I really missed the point of the Pontius Pilate chapters. There must have been something important there and I just didn’t get it. I struggled with the story early on, wondering what the point was of the tale, and was told by multiple people that things really pick up in Part II when we are introduced to Margarita. Sadly, the introduction of Margarita had the opposite effect for me. I did not like her character or her storyline. I much preferred the bizarre events of the first part of the novel. Overall, the writing was compelling. I am usually not afraid to bail on books, but this grabbed me and I NEEDED to finish. However, I did not enjoy it and I’m more relieved than anything else that it is finally over.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      The ending is sublimely beautiful the events leading up to it are not easy to keep track off so you'll need your wits about you. The double story or understory of Pontius Pilate was very well rendered.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Full of excellence, yes, indeed, but not much in the way of reading pleasure. Getting through this felt like hard work. Somehow it persisted in feeling untranslated.And it's not as if I lacked all context: in addition to prior general knowledge, I'd read a book on Russian history and culture just before it. I'm not afraid of symbolism, allegory, philosophy, or ambiguity, and I usually favor fiction over nonfiction; but still, I think I preferred the straightforward language of the history book.I did, however, think the description of the witches' sabbath was both literally and figuratively fantastic.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The Master and Margarita is one of the classics of Soviet (and Russian) literature. I can see why. It offers pointed criticism of the Soviet system in general and life in the Moscow elite in particular during a time, when the Soviet Union was at the height of its power.And the writing of Mihail Bulgakov (here translated into Finnish by Ulla-Liisa Heino) is great and, at points, magnificent. Especially when he writes about the biblical times of Pontius Pilate, his writing is a pleasure to read.But I just didn't like the way that the main plot line about the Satan and his comrades' gallywanting in Moscow and causing mayhem that interesting. It was too surreal, you could never know where the next turn of the page would take you (and I mean that in a negative sense). The characters of Satan's troupe were too unpredictable (which, some might say, fits their character), which I did not like.This book offers three stories in one. The one about Pontius Pilate and the day of the crusifixion was marvellous, the one about the Master and his loved one, Margarita, was a good tragic love story, and the one about Satan coming to Moscow was just poor.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The devil and a few of his minions wreak havoc in 1930s Moscow. Wherever they go, chaos follows... This is the story of Faust, if Faust were a woman, brilliantly clever and in love. Margarita holds her own with Satan, exchanging her soul for awesome powers, all for the sake of the Master whom she loves, her champion, the writer of the Pontius Pilate story, told parallel to the Moscow hi-jinks. Bulgakov's novel is by turns hysterically funny, then poignant and sad. This is a glorious book, and gorgeously written, yet every part is succinctly put. Even the simple description of Satan's appearance, from his build to what he wears, is nothing short of chilling. Rollicking nonstop action and a strange, exotic locale made this, for me, an un-putdownable read - until the last few chapters, when I realized with horror I would soon be finished! I wasn't ready to say good-bye! So I dragged my feet and did my very best to make it last. Imagine my pleasure when I discovered the commentary at the end, like the juiciest of DVD extras. I found these notes, a veritable play-by-play of anything and everything relevant and interesting, infinitely valuable - I highly recommend this edition.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      In spite of my many years of experience as a reader of a wide variety of literature—from YA novels to Shakespeare and lots of stuff in between—I am a newcomer to magical realism. So new, in fact, that I had no clue there was such a thing as Russian magical realism, which apparently predates Latin American magical realism, the better-known type. I suspect that my lack of familiarity with the genre, compounded by my very limited knowledge of Russian history and literature, made this novel a rather tough task for me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it but obviously not as much as I would have had I the proper prior knowledge.The novel defies summary. Woland (Satan) visits Moscow in the 1930s. He brings with him three henchman (one in the form of an oversized feline named Behemoth). A series of episodic adventures ensues—there is an “accidental” beheading, a theatrical séance, literary skullduggery, trips to asylums, multiple disappearances, lots of minor characters, and only a vague sense of plot coherence. And the titular duo do not become prominent in the story until the second half of the novel. Oh, there’s also a book-within-the-book: a narrative account of Pontius Pilate’s ruling on Christ’s execution. Yes, the narrative’s loose structure and multiple plot strands make it a challenge to follow. But Bulghakov’s humor is bitingly charming. I cannot even attempt to explain what the novel is about—that would require research and conversation with others who’ve read the book, neither of which I was fortunate enough to enjoy as I read it. These constraints limited the pleasure I derived from the novel, and I’m sure there’s more “there” in this confoundingly delightful book than I was able to identify. If you’re up for a challenge, you could do worse than The Master & Margarita.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      An enjoyable book, but I failed to understand its underlying meaning. The book was recommended to me by a Russian, who indicated that life under communism was a major theme throughout the story with many hidden meanings. Much of the story would, I am sure, be understood if I had a Russian cultural background. My Russian friend assures me this book was a sensation when first published in Russia.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I know that it got rave reviews, that's why I purchased it, but to me it's a dud! It read like a slap-stick comedy, of which I am not fond. Every chapter introduced new characters whose names all looked and sounded like everybody else's. The best word I can use to describe it is inane. Life is too short to read a large book that you hate! Read 16/32 chapters (about 200 pages) .

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This book surprises with very fine articulation. Nevertheless, it lacked a consistent storyline, and many characters were chaotically introduced throughout the plot. 'The Master and Margarita' was definitely a fun book to read, however, rather shallow and overrated, I'm afraid.
    • 5/5
      This took a me a shamefully long time to read, but it was so weird and wonderful. I love books where absurd things happen in a rational world, and this book was dreamlike and surreal like that. Totally brilliant, even if I struggled stepping into it each time because of said surrealism (and those Russian names always get me)
    • 4/5
      A novel in which the Devil comes to Moscow to play mischief on literary types and is accompanied by a talking, boozy black cat? My first reaction was, Yes, please! I thought I'd absolutely love this one because it seems that it would be weird in all the right ways for me, but I'm sad that I didn't. Love it, I mean. Maybe because I'm not keen to understand the political protesty background? Maybe because Russian lit has never been my absolute favorite (although there are a couple that I did very much enjoy)? I feel I've failed some test somewhere with this one, but, well, *shrug*.
    • 3/5
      DNF at page 110.This is well-done, but it's simply not my thing. It's clever, witty, and absurd. However, I simply couldn't care less what happens to any of the characters, and the humor simply isn't enough to keep me going.I received a complementary copy of this via a Goodreads Giveaway.
    • 5/5
      I had to hide this book from open view on its shelf because people kept asking me what it is about. I was then forced to tell them that "The Master and Margarita" is an allegorical novel about early 20th century Russian society. They never fully recovered from the shock.
    • 4/5
      This made me chuckle frequently. It's probably the most absurd book I've ever read. I mean the protagonist is Satan... that alone tells you a lot. I probably missed a lot of the political context, and I'm convinced the book will be even better once I get to re-read it.
    • 4/5
      A really fun timeless classic worthy of your current time!
    • 5/5
      This is a book I would read forever if I only get to choose one book! It's a multidimensional masterpiece. There are commentaries on religion, government, society, etc. The devil, a speaking cat, vampires, and witches; you name it, Bulgakov incorporates it in the story. I ordered the physical copy halfway through the audio version=)
    • 5/5
      The story was fairly interesting but the best thing about this audiobook is the reader! He is wonderful. His voice is easy to listen to with lots of atmospheres inflections characterizations. He brings out the humor in the story.
    • 5/5
      Has been in my top 5 GOAT books for years. This audio book translation goes to top 3 and maybe number one. Funny. Thoughtful. Two stories intertwined skill fully until the story is finished.
    • 5/5
      What a master of imagery and character! The scenes! The setup! The characterizations! In my head, I just had so many clear pictures of what was going on. I could just imagine a beautiful movie made of this in either an old-school animation or elaborate still-illustration cutouts - very stylized either way.
    • 5/5
      You read it, and it stays with you to ponder. You find new things in your memory of this book years later. This is a must-read.
    • 1/5
      I know that it got rave reviews, that's why I purchased it, but to me it's a dud! It read like a slap-stick comedy, of which I am not fond. Every chapter introduced new characters whose names all looked and sounded like everybody else's. The best word I can use to describe it is inane. Life is too short to read a large book that you hate! Read 16/32 chapters (about 200 pages) .
    • 5/5
      Amazing. Written in 1930 it has 3 concurrent storyline that merge towards the end. Satire, magical realism, biblical references its an amazingly interesting look at Stalinist Moscow.
    • 5/5
      This book has a cult following. Mick Jagger was inspired by it to write Sympathy for the Devil. The protest literature that evolved in Stalinist Russia (I include Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn) is one of heroic humanism.

      This references may be too esoteric without a guide but there is a terrific website that serves as a compendium- masterandmargarita.eu.

      I love magical realism and this compares in craft to the best Spanish literature of that genre.

      BUT, the five stars is for the chapters that deal with Jesus and Pontius Pilate. Those are sublimely, intoxicatingly REAL. The shift in style could only be carried of this well by the likes of Bulgakov, and few others.

      The talking black cat that shoots pips out of cards, the author struggling with doubt and meaning, aided by his muse cum witch, and the charming, disarming Satan—that’s all fun. And thought provoking—it is literature about literature.

      And when we are told at end not to believe any of it, we do anyway. We were there after all.

      Addendum. The narrator is absolutely convincing with each character. He is a master in his own right—farcical, pensive, wry or menacing as called upon. (If you are tempted instead by the ensemble cast production by LATW—go ahead. But don’t say I didn’t warn you).
    • 5/5
      The best novel in the world ♥️♥️♥️ the best writer in the world ♥️♥️♥️
    • 5/5
      I love this from beginning to endi loved this from beginning to end. Perfect. Absurd and Eloquent.
    • 5/5
      A brilliant book. Usually I abandon the audio book if I am really enjoying it, to allow my interpretation, but Rhind-Tutts reading was so good that I abandoned the print version and went back to listening to him.
    • 5/5
      Story is so amazing,has everything comedy,drama,fantasy and everything is well
      connected.And somebody give the narrator a award for storytelling if is there any.
    • 5/5
      The book every Russian tells you to read.

      "let me introduce my retinue. That creature who has been playing the fool is the cat Behemoth."
    • 5/5
      One of the great masterpieces of 20th century fiction, not just Russian fiction. Simply put: Satan comes to 1930s Moscow, and all Hell, literal and metaphorical, breaks out. There is a love story at the core of the book -- the relationship between the titular Master and his love Margarita -- but I don't think I'm alone in thinking that the real stars of the book are the Devil's assistants. Consider how many book covers feature Behemoth, the gun-toting, chess-loving, ego-maniacal cat that can talk and walk on his back legs. There are many sequences in the book that are priceless, but the whole "Black Magic and Its Expose" segment is completely brilliant. Not far behind is the depiction of the Devil's ball, in which Margarita plays an important part, earning her reward. Absolutely recommended.