Mikhail Bulgakov's devastating satire of Soviet life was written during the darkest period of Stalin's regime. Combining two distinct yet interwoven parts - one set in ancient Jerusalem, one in contemporary Moscow - the novel veers from moods of wild theatricality with violent storms, vampire...
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Mikhail Bulgakov's devastating satire of Soviet life was written during the darkest period of Stalin's regime. Combining two distinct yet interwoven parts - one set in ancient Jerusalem, one in contemporary Moscow - the novel veers from moods of wild theatricality with violent storms, vampire attacks and a Satanic ball; to such somber scenes as the meeting of Pilate and Yeshua, and the murder of Judas in the moonlit garden of Gethsemane; to the substance-less, circus-like reality of Moscow.
Its central characters, Woland (Satan) and his retinue - including the vodka-drinking, black cat, Behemoth; the poet, Ivan Homeless; Pontius Pilate; a writer known only as The Master, and his passionate companion, Margarita - exist in a world that blends fantasy and chilling realism, an artful collage of grotesqueries, dark comedy and timeless ethical questions.
Although completed in 1940, The Master and Margarita wasn't published in Moscow until 1966 when the 1st part appeared in the magazine Moskva. It was an immediate and enduring success. Audiences responded with great enthusiasm to its expression of artistic & spiritual freedom.
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