Monday 15 February 2016

Book: 'The Master And Margarita' by Mikhail Bulgakov (1967)

Fascinating. A great Russian novel which belies their reputation (in my misbehaving mind) of unending misery and gloomy death-laden finales. Now, that's not to say that 'The Master And Margarita' (TMAM) has a happy ending, but it certainly has at least an ambiguous one.

TMAM needs to be considered as a novel of two halves, which may not necessarily match. The first consists of the arrival of the devil called Woland to Moscow, with his own troupe, and the chaos they cause with all their mischief, while the second is driven by the eponymous Margarita and her persistently anonymous lover known only as 'the master' due to her admiration of his unpublished novel. This is all linked together by a backstory involving Pontius Pilate and Jesus, but don't go expecting a religious book, as it's really not. A brief skimming of Wikipedia reveals that, once again, I have missed a broad swathe of satire in the novel, but I would characterize it as being irreligious in the grander scheme of things.

It it a 'great novel', at least in its translation? It's genuinely hard to say. The fact that I finished it so quickly, and with enjoyment, would perhaps indicate that it isn't, as my tastes don't run in that direction. Is it a successful bawdy romp? Yes and no, as the second half is markedly less of a romp and winds down the story in a non-climactic manner. On the other hand, much of the demonic japes involve nakedness and counterfeit money, the former of which is almost the definition of bawdiness. There is no definite ending, merely a departure of the antagonists. Woland is not defeated, but merely leaves in search of fresh mischief. It's fitting but non-climactic, despite fitting into my theory of 'en media res' at beginning and end.

Is it satirical? I don't know. Is this a wonderful text in the translation by Michael Glenny? Yes. It's witty and enthralling, despite tailing off toward the end. Does it say something about the human condition? Not particularly. I can't work it out, and it will need to be reread. That need to be reread is a sign of quality.

Hmm, a blog post that ultimately says nothing. That's not unusual!

O.

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