The Master and Margarita

The Open Library:

The first complete, annotated English Translation of Mikhail Bulgakov's comic masterpiece. An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech. One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of in exhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth, a work whose nuances emerge for the first time in Diana Burgin's and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor's splendid English version. (back cover)

Search for “The Master and Margarita” downloads:

Visit our Downloads Search page to see if downloads are available.

Borrow "The Master and Margarita" Online:

Check on the availability of online borrowing. Please note that online borrowing has copyright-based limitations and that the quality of ebooks may vary.

• Is Online Borrowing Available: Yes
• Preview Status: restricted
• Check if available: The Open Library & The Internet Archive

Find “The Master and Margarita” in Libraries Near You:

Read or borrow “The Master and Margarita” from your local library.

• The WorldCat Libraries Catalog: Find a copy of “The Master and Margarita” at a library near you.