Book recommenda Mikhail Bulgakov, 'The Master and Margarita'

[westernkate]

I've been a librarian for some years and have rarely been moved to sighs and gasps by an author but... in this case I was.
"The Master and Margarita has at last been translated accurately and completely... the book is by turns hilarious, mysterious, contemplative and poignant... a great work" - Chicago Tribune, boasts the cover. I could not have said it better.

Written by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated by Diana burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'connor.

I suggest it!

[Erik_Kowal]

There is a link to a different English-language version, translated and annotated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsksy and published by Penguin Books in 1997, that exists online at http://lib.ru/BULGAKOW/master97_engl.txt .

[spiritus]

Westernkate,

Why?

[NogaNote]

I second Westernkate's opinion: it is a great book. I first read it in Hebrew Translation which was very well done. In Hebrew the novel was titled: The Devil in Moscow. And this gives you an idea of what it is about: the devil comes to make mischief in communist Moscow. Master is a painter and Margarita is an abused wife. It unfolds along two parallel naratives: contemporary life in Moscow, and the story of Pontius Pilate two millenia earlier.

It's a love story, a Faustian adventure, a religious fable and most of all a sharp political satire. I remember reading it was banned in the Soviet Union.

[gdwdwrkr]

Heard it on a public radiolunch-hour production "Reading Aloud" back in the 70s. EXCELLENT. I'll have to read it "again"! ("Reading allowed.")

[Shelley]

Finally finished reading this by way of the link provided above by Erik. I enjoyed it: especially the relationship between the Master and the subject of his novel - Pontius Pilate, and some of the more bizarre incidents involving Satan (Woland) and his minions. (The Master is a writer, by the way, not a painter.) I had trouble with the translation from time to time. Fortunately, a lot of questions were cleared up when I read the notes at the end. It was persistently difficult (for me) to establish the period in which the events took place because, for example, in one place cabbies were reining in their horses while in another place someone knelt down to put on a sneaker. The notes explained that horse-drawn cabs still existed well into the 20th century in Moscow, but I'm not sure they and sneakers were in the same period. Knowing more about Bulgakov and when he was writing would help, and I intend to find out more about this writer.
I did not enjoy reading a book online though. You can't curl up with it, or carry it around in case an opportunity comes up to have a quick read. You can't mark your place with a bookmark. Can't make notes in the margins, if you're inclined to do that (I'm not, but that's not the point.) I prefer the physical object over the virtual one, no boubt adout it.

[Erik_Kowal]

Shelley, I have the same objections as you do to reading a book online. I am still waiting for a physical device to be marketed that will enable me to upload a text which I can then read offline, and that will provide the portability, physical dimensions, low weight, crispness of typeface, and readability outdoors of a regular book, all at a reasonable price (i.e. around $30 or less). Hopefully, partly because of all the attention that the digitization of books is getting via such initiatives as Project Gutenberg and Google's plans for the mass digitization of texts, such display devices will eventually become available.

To find out more about Mikhail Bulgakov, you might like to start with the principal English-language Wikipedia entry devoted to the man and his works.

[victoriaw]

The best Mikhail Bulgakov books in pdf!

Master and Margarita:
[Link deleted due to probable copyright violation]
Dogs Heart:
[Link deleted due to probable copyright violation]
The Fatal Eggs:
http://books.google.com/books?id=kOOoC3 ... &q&f=false

[russcable]

In addition to the physical problems of reading things online, you have very possibly just participated in the violation of the copyright of the translators and the original author as well. Congratulations. :)

[dante]

No fear of violating the author's rights, he died seventy years ago.
It's difficult to say if the copyright for the book is valid anymore, specially in the non-printed, electronic format.Moreover, I guess that the laws on copyright vary to different countries.
I think that the world will not be a worse place if victoriaw or anyone else reads a book written by the author who expired seventy years ago.

[Phil White]

With a translation, it is the date of publication of the translation that determines copyright issues, not the date of the original work.

In the case of specific editions with extensive forewords, etc. that material is also copyright.

As far as I understand it, all three translations were still in copyright (despite what it said in the headers). I left the link to The Fatal Eggs intact because Google Books only display portions of books that are still in copyright.

[victoriaw]

I'm sorry.
I thought, as dante, that I wasn't violating author rights.. Also, this is the only way I can get this book in english.

[PhilHunt]

There are ways to get hold of a Radio 4 radioplay of the book. I think it's probably the one James [gdwdwrkr] mentioned. I won't put a link to it as I know it is definately not kosha....however, those in the know, know where to look. [nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more.]

[Phil White]

We are always treading a fine line on this site, particularly when we quote extensively from reference sources. I believe that we have the "fair use" balance about right.

As far as linking to sites where material can be downloaded is concerned, the administrators have to take decisions according to their best judgement. Realistically, no publisher is going to take action against Wordwizard for linking to a site where illegal material is available. However, my position is that I am opposed to the practice of making copyright material available free of charge in the public domain, and I shall take steps to discourage the practice.

On the other hand, the information that I retained in the edited post and the information Phil just provided, for instance, are perfectly adequate to indicate that such sources are available, and users can locate them quickly enough if they choose.

Ultimately, I can only use my informed judgement as to whether a given resource appears to be legal or not and act accordingly. I am likely to make plenty of errors of judgement! My editing of the post was not intended as censure in any way.

[PhilHunt]

Westernkate,
I listened to the R4 drama version of the Master and Margarita and it brought to mind a collection of short stories which you might enjoy, The Encyclopedia of the Dead by Danilo Kis. I read it ages ago but I remember some fantastic re-imaginings of the life of Simon Magus and other biblical characters.