Rating: 
Summary: Good book, bad translation...
Review: Let me share something:An oaktree greening by the ocean
A golden chain about it wound
Whereon a learned cat in motion
Both day and night will walk around
On walking right he sings a ditty
On walking left he tells a lay...
(Alexander Pushkin, intro for "Ruslan and Ludmila" translated by Walter Arndt) You can tell good poetry when you see one. If you happen to know some Russian you'll also notice that this is almost a word-for-word translation and if you know Pushkin's heritage you'll be amazed at how well the translator preserved Pushkin's manner, spirit of the fairy tale and the very "Russian" colorit of the poem.
Now, this one (Volokhonsky/Pevear's translation of "Master and Margarita") ain't the case. While "Citizenness" Volokhonsky seems to know the Russian original, M'seur Pevear doesn't have a very good command of English language. He failed miserably not only to preserve the easily flowing bubbling like champagne Bulgakov's speech, but even to correctly interpret some very simple words. E.g., how would you, non-Russian speaking readers translate the Russian word "regent" (the former imperial title of Koroviev - one of Satan's most colorful servants)? I'll give you a hint - it is not "choirmaster" (an obscure use of the word in Russian church, for some reason chosen by the translators). The book is filled with Pevear's(Volokhonsky's?) own "neologisms" that are hard to understand at first and they require that the reader makes a mental list of their translations into common English after which they become simply annoying.
In general it's a good book, I give it four stars and suggest that the translators come visit the US sometime, get a sense of modern American English and maybe see some of our places of interest (like Universal Studios).
:-)
Rating: 
Summary: Satan and his retinue wreak havoc in Moscow
Review: The supernatural Woland, Azazello, Koroview and the black anthropomorphic cat Behemoth visit Moscow in the 1930s, creating a series of paranormal events that leave the reader reeling with laughter and shock. The supernatural powers play with human pawns (sometimes aided by the "evil" human inclination) to comical and sometimes tragic ends. The supernatural forces are omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. The humans are duped into seeing what does not exist, teleported to Yalta, intimidated, assaulted, turned into ghouls (against their will), they strike up an involuntary chorus, etc... It is thoroughly humorous. The plot spans multiple realms and timelines. There are spin-off stories that lead nowhere and others that are tied back into the main story line. There's the story of the struggling writer (the Master) and his soul-mate (Margarita). The Master has a revelation and writes an epic novel. The novel is a new perspective on the events said to have occurred in ancient Judea circa 33 CE. The story within the story is that of the 5th Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate and the wandering philosopher Yeshua Ha-Nozri. The book takes us to otherworldly realms, a midnight satanic ball, a witches coven, ancient Yerushalaim, an insane asylum, the air space above Moscow and several Moscow haunts. I found the beginning discussion of comparative religion (the occurrence of the immaculate maiden giving birth to a god in Eastern religions) and philosophy (the proofs of the existence of God proposed by Kant, Immanuel and Strauss) interesting. Although this is a work of fiction, after reading it, I am less apt to dismiss the existence of dark angels or evils spirits (Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Belial, Baal, Molech). Keep in mind that this work casts a harsh light on the atheistic intellectual outlook of the former Soviet state. This book languished for many years (censured by the Stalinist state) and was published after the author's death.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! A Tolerable Cat!!
Review: I found this book in tatters underneath a moldy mattress in a Bornean bordello. Unlike my "date", this book was only tattered and soiled on the outside. What a surprise this book is (much like the surprise I discovered several weeks after my encounter with a different "Margarita") and I can highly recommend it to one and all. I should warn you now, this is one of those books that requires an imagination as many of the things that occur are out of the ordinary (more like Garcia Marquez or Murakami than King or Carroll). If that bugs you, stay away. On the other hand, if you like subversive, metaphor-laden lollipops, this could be your sucker. It's a crazy ride, and the commentary included with this translation is most helpful. But nevermind all of that. What makes this worth reading is the darn cat. For once, the cat is not annoying. The black cat in this book (read Ch. XXVIII for example) is very very amusing. My wife's insipid terror-cat is nothing like this boozehound blackie and that's just too bad. I tried to get the philistine (Bessie) to read it, but all she did was complain about how unbelievable certain events were (she was particularly offended by how much vodka the cat drank). No matter, it's a great book and a nekkid redhead even makes an appearance. Better than most!
Rating:
Summary: A novel of breathtaking courage and imaginative depth.
Review: "The Master and Margarita," Mikhail Bulgakov's sparkling fantasy of Satan's visit to Moscow under the guise of a magician named Professor Woland, must rank as one of the greatest acts of literary heroism of the past century. Bulgakov wrote the novel in the late 1930s, under what was arguably the most repressive government ever on earth--the Soviet Union at the height of Stalin's power. When even the mildest criticism of the regime led to a death sentence, Bulgakov dared to place all the cruelty, venality and treachery of 1930s Russia under a microscope. The book was of course unpublishable in Bulgakov's lifetime; it only appeared in its original form nearly a half-century after the author's death. We can chuckle at the wicked tricks Woland and his retinue play on various arrogant, incompetent Soviet officials, but knowledge of the power wielded by the real-life counterparts of those officials gives the chuckles a grim undertone indeed. The titular characters don't even appear until the book is nearly half-over: the Master, a despondent writer sent to an asylum after his novel about Pontius Pilate is rejected by the Soviet writers' union, and Margarita, the beautiful woman who loves him and will literally go to Hell for his sake. Through their dealings with Woland, Bulgakov exalts the power of the imagination, the need for the spiritual dimension in life and the courage to live by one's own convictions--virtues that Stalinist Russia strove, mostly successfully, to undermine. Interspersed with the tale of Woland, the Master and Margarita are chapters from the Master's novel, depicting Pontius Pilate's dealings on the day of the Crucifixion with Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus of Nazareth), Levi Matvei (St. Matthew) and Judas of Kerioth (Iscariot). The leading theme of those chapters is the essential nature of humankind: are people good, as Yeshua argues, or bad, as Pilate does? Bulgakov never answers this question, and Christian fundamentalists will be outraged to find Levi Matvei and Woland at the end to be allies, albeit uneasy ones. But in the Stalinist moral vacuum that denied the existence of both Heaven and Hell, how could they avoid working together? Bulgakov insists that people have moral choices, and that the greatest evil comes from abdicating those choices, as Stalin not only encouraged but demanded. The Vintage International edition of "The Master and Margarita" benefits mightily from the idiomatic, easily flowing English translation by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor, and the afterword by Bulgakov biographer Ellendea Proffer provides invaluable information, from the standpoint of both the societal context and Bulgakov's own life history.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Book, A Wonderful Translation
Review: This is Bulgakov's magnum opus. "Master and Margarita" was written in the years 1929-1940. It was completed months before Bulgakov's death. The book was posthumously published in the Soviet Union in the mid 1960s, with some provocative passages censored by the paranoid communist ideological machine. This is one of the most imaginative allegories I have ever encountered. Bulgakov's imagery and satire ran a scathing trace along the fabric of the Soviet society, oppressed by totalitarian institutions and bureaucratic narrow-mindedness. There is here also a story within a story--a retelling of the confrontation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate. Bulgakov's raises the issue of meaning of love, faith, forgiveness, and human decency. This also is a funny novel. And I think that to truly appreciate all of its nuances one should read it in Russian, and I am privileged to be able to do so. However, this book is not beyond the average English-speaking reader, on the contrary, most people will enjoy reading it for its sheer humour and inventiveness, even if they are not familiar with the society which is allegorically depicted here. I prefer this translation to other translations. It feels accurate and natural. The flow of narrative is smooth and enticing. In the real world, Bulgakov seems to show, love does not always conquer all, but it remains unconquered even in the face of oppression and tragedy. Michael Hart
Rating: 
Summary: "The devil knows why. . ."
Review: I have mentioned before in a distant review of the past that each book has a "moment of truth," that shimmering macrosecond where the reader either becomes hooked (and therefore can't wait to finish the work), or disappointed (whereby the book is either put aside, or finished grudgingly). For me, alas, Bulgakov's THE MASTER AND MARGARITA evoked the latter, although I finished the book and readily appreciated the author's rather fantastic and satirical story of Satan and his pesky retinue wreaking havoc in 1930s Moscow. That Mikhail Bulgakov is an exceptional writer is a given; if only I was fluid in Russian where I could read his words as written I would no doubt be even more impressed with his prose and style. This Vintage Press edition (translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor) certainly pays homage to this classic with a meticulous eye for detail, followed by notes on each chapter that I found to be invaluable. So then, what's the problem? Well, I enjoy humor and satire as much as the next guy (I suppose), but a story depicting Satan as some sort of instrument of salvation--an instrument in alliance with Yeshua--for the book's two protagonists was just. . .too much. The Master, a writer who cannot endure the pain of rejection, is one-dimensional and sullen, while Margarita, his love, becomes a willing pawn of the devil. And the story blithely suggests that death through its mortal release is preferable to life (which is understandable, given Bulgakov's failing health as he finished the book). The fantastic notion of the story--of illusion, madness, a huge talking cat, flying through the air, and a Satanic ball--is a clever device, but eventually it wears thin. As a playwright, Bulgakov uses an abundance of theater officers, bureaucrats, and authors as unhappy victims of Satan's antics (no doubt the author was settling countless scores); unfortunately, the names of these characters are in Russian, and many of the names vary by a vowel or a letter, making it very difficult for the reader to keep track of "who's who." And the parallel story of Pontius Pilate and the crucifixion--told from a political, not spiritual, perspective--was interesting, yet bizarre. In fact, "bizarre" is a good word to describe THE MASTER AND MARGARITA in its entirety; it's an interesting, fantastic, metaphysical tale, yet requires too much suspension of disbelief.
--D. Mikels
Rating:
Summary: Finally! A Tolerable Cat!!
Review: I found this book in tatters underneath a moldy mattress in a Bornean bordello. Unlike my "date", this book was only tattered and soiled on the outside. What a surprise this book is (much like the surprise I discovered several weeks after my encounter with a different "Margarita") and I can highly recommend it to one and all. I should warn you now, this is one of those books that requires an imagination as many of the things that occur are out of the ordinary (more like Garcia Marquez or Murakami than King or Carroll). If that bugs you, stay away. On the other hand, if you like subversive, metaphor-laden lollipops, this could be your sucker. It's a crazy ride, and the commentary included with this translation is most helpful. But nevermind all of that. What makes this worth reading is the darn cat. For once, the cat is not annoying. The black cat in this book (read Ch. XXVIII for example) is very very amusing. My wife's insipid terror-cat is nothing like this boozehound blackie and that's just too bad. I tried to get the philistine (Bessie) to read it, but all she did was complain about how unbelievable certain events were (she was particularly offended by how much vodka the cat drank). No matter, it's a great book and a nekkid redhead even makes an appearance. Better than most!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating layered text
Review: Writing during the Stalinist purges and not published until decades later, this tragy-comedy is an allegory of Satan visiting Moscow. The first half of the book, about Satan's reign of terror, is impressive in it's detail and fantasy. I didn't enjoy the second half quite as much, about the saving of the Master and Margarita. While there were some wonderfully rich scenes in the second half as well, I didn't feel close enough to the characters. Overall though, a fascinating book with layers.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Presposterous!
Review: I would first like to convey my intractable disapproval of the way I was misrepresented in the translation under discussion. As a true connoisseur, brilliant writer, and appreciator of learned cats, Dr. Bulgakov had absolutely intended me, Behemoth, to be the central character of this story (which I am in the Russian version, I assure you), and that is incomprehensibly lost in this, and every other, translation of The Master and Margarita. Russian may be a complicated language for some, but to turn it all around and say that the "Master" referred to in the title was meant for that inconsequential writer friend of Margarita's is really beyond belief! What has he got to do with anything? Ridiculous! And to suggest that the neophyte witch Margarita, no matter how charming she was at Satan's ball, would have the audacity to bully me--a creature with the strength to rip the head straight off the shoulders of that emcee, mind you--by simply pinching my ear! Who could believe such a thing? Another point is that chess game I was winning against Woland: it was _he_ who cheated his way out of a humiliating defeat by tossing my king under the bed, not the other way around! So, dear reader, if you should decide to read this otherwise enchanting novel, please keep in mind the errors made by its translators in casting my character in an unseemly, almost dismissive, light. As one who ought to know a little more about this subject than the throng of im-posters who have submitted their somewhat misinformed reviews here, I entreat you to read the story not as a political satire, social commentary, or any other such nonsense, but as a tribute to a worldly and fascinatingly accomplished feline who, more than even Dr. Bulgakov himself, has been severely and wrongly maligned through a sad misinterpretation of the facts so clearly at hand.--Behemoth
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely insane book -- that is absolutely wonderful!
Review: Out of my favorite books of all time I have had to kick one out and replace it with this. My main reason for wanting to read The Master and Margarita was the comment that it was reminiscent of Faust, another favorite of mine. However, this book goes much farther than retelling Goethe's classic play of temptation and the devil. Within this complexely written novel are three different stories, three different tones, and a whole lot of satirical/dark humor. Satan's entorage is completely in the fantastic world, and acts completely opposite to the very rational and no-nonsense realm of Moscow, which is treated as a playground for the three odd characters in Satan's company. Then there's an equally intriguing interpretation of Jesus' crucifixion and the characters surrounding that historic event (Pilate, Judas, Matthew,etc.)Punctuating the random violence and humor are scenes of serious contemplation and complexities of human nature, and the whole story is very well concluded (which is something I can rarely say these days). I could not recommend this book enough to *anyone*, and especially those who do not realize the imagination that went into making such an involved story. However, it would help to know a bit more about Russian/Soviet history, as I found that there were things that were clearer with a bit of historical insight. But it is equally as enjoyable without that knowledge!!
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