A masterful translation of one of the great novels of the 20th
century
Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and
Margarita. Full of pungency and wit, this luminous work is Bulgakov's
crowning achievement, skilfully blending magical and realistic elements,
grotesque situations and major ethical concerns. Written during the
darkest period of Stalin's repressive reign and a devastating satire of
Soviet life, it combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in
contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem, each brimming with
incident and with historical, imaginary, frightful and wonderful
characters. Although completed in 1940, The Master and Margarita was
not published until 1966 when the first section appeared in the monthly
magazine Moskva. Russians everywhere responded enthusiastically to the
novel's artistic and spiritual freedom and it was an immediate and
enduring success. This new translation has been made from the complete
and unabridged Russian text.