 First edition | |
| Author | Mikhail Bulgakov Elena Sergeevna Bulgakova |
|---|---|
| Original title | Мастер и Маргарита |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre | Fantasy, farce, supernatural, romance, satire, Modernist literature |
| Publisher | YMCA Press |
Publication date | 1966–67 (in serial form), 1967 (in single volume), 1973 (uncensored version) |
| Publication place | Soviet Union |
Published in English | 1967 |
| Media type | Print (hard & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-14-118014-5 (Penguin paperback) |
| OCLC | 37156277 |
The Master and Margarita (Russian: Мастер и Маргарита) is a novel by Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940.[1] A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published in Moscow magazine in 1966–1967, after the writer's death on March 10, 1940, by his widow Elena Bulgakova (Russian: Елена Булгакова). The manuscript was not published as a book until 1967, in Paris. A samizdat version circulated that included parts cut out by official censors, and these were incorporated in a 1969 version published in Frankfurt. The novel has since been published in several languages and editions.
The story concerns a visit by the devil and his entourage to the officially atheistic Soviet Union. The devil, manifested as one Professor Woland, challenges the Soviet citizens' beliefs towards religion and condemns their behavior throughout the book. The Master and Margarita combines supernatural elements with satirical dark comedy and Christian philosophy, defying categorization within a single genre. It exhibits autobiographical elements, but is also dominated by many aspects of fiction. Many critics consider it to be one of the best novels of the 20th century, as well as the foremost of Soviet satires.[2][3]
- ^ Sonne, Paul (16 February 2024). "Life Imitates Art as a 'Master and Margarita' Movie Stirs Russia - An American director's adaptation of the beloved novel is resonating with moviegoers, who may recognize some similarities in its satire of authoritarian rule". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Sollars, Michael (2008). The Facts on File Companion to the World Novel: 1900 to the Present. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 508. ISBN 978-0-81606-233-1.
- ^ Melville-Logan, Peter, ed. (2014). Encyclopedia of the Novel. New Jersey, United States: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. p. 822. ISBN 978-1-11872-389-0.