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This is a contender for the greatest work of Russian literature in the 20th century. The Bergin/O'Connor translation is a good one. Even if you don't get the re

This is a contender for the greatest work of Russian literature in the 20th century. The Bergin/O'Connor translation is a good one. Even if you don't get the references or historical context, you'll still enjoy reading it. Giant talking cat! As pvg points out, Kevin Moss's notes (http://cr.middlebury.edu/bulgakov/public_html/ http://cr.middlebury.edu/bulgakov/public_html/) will reveal whole new layers of the onion when you re-read the book.

StavrosK 9y ago
I'm an hour away from finishing the book, and goddamn I cannot get into it at all. It's just a bunch of random stuff happening without much connection. What is the appeal?
- idlewords 9y ago
  The twist ending! It's hard to answer this question. Is there any Russian literature you've read and enjoyed?
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Oops, there's a twist ending? I might just skip this thread and come back in a few days, then... I'm afraid I haven't read much other Russian literature, as I prefer scifi, so the closest I got to the Eastern bloc is Lem... I think my main problem with Master and Margarita is that I don't know much about the context of the era, and it feels like most of the book is subtle jabs at the society and political climate of the time.
    - idlewords 9y ago
      No, I was messing with you. Kevin Moss's site linked upthread is a good place to start for context that may make you retroactively enjoy the book more.
      - StavrosK 9y ago
        Damn. I have that tab open to get back to after I've finished the book, thanks!
    - int_19h 9y ago
      As far as sci-fi, you should try Strugatsky books.
      - smsm42 9y ago
        Second that, but I'd probably stay away from early books by Strugatskys - they are kind of naive and would only work for a real hardcore fan. Later ones are much deeper.
    - gonubalabala 9y ago
      It's a closure ending, and by now you understand that any closure to what you've read must involve some sort of twist.
    - smsm42 9y ago
      Bulgakov also did sci-fi - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs I'm not sure it would work in translation though - as the plot goes, it would be kind of simple, especially for our 21th century eyes, but the inimitable Bulgakov style adds a lot.
- geoka9 9y ago
  Which edition/translation are you reading? EDIT: For me, the appeal is in the interplay of the ultra paranoid and cynical life in the Stalinist USSR and the supernatural and goofy exploits of the Devil and his entourage who happen to visit Moscow. The love story between the two main human characters is just the icing on the cake, but in my opinion not that important. Not to mention that the "book within the book" about Pontius Pilate provided an entertaining intro to one of the fundamental Biblical stories for the atheist me, although now I tend to skip it when I re-read the book every once in a while. EDIT2: Forgot to mention that the style it is written in (in Russian) is unique; it's very tongue-in-cheek: respectful to the established order and authorities on the surface but derisively satirical underneath. Nobody else wrote like that.
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Ah, I'm not quite sure, it's an Audiobook from Audible.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    (After your edits:) Hmm, yes, I do agree that it is interesting to see how everyone reacts to accusations of "holding foreign currency", but I think I'm missing most of the humour because I just don't know what it was like to live in a Stalinist sociopolitical climate. I did enjoy the sub-book about Pontius Pilate indeed, and I also agree that the style feels very unique. I think the story with the Devil is just an excuse to orchestrate these unique situations and write the satirical/subversive reactions. I think that's what I don't like, the disjointed narrative without much of an arc, because I'm missing most of the subtext that is the payoff for the scenes.
    - geoka9 9y ago
      This happens to be my favorite book, so I'm sorry to hear that. I was recently recommending it to a Romanian friend (who doesn't read Russian) and I was hoping he would be able to relate to it since he's from an ex-Soviet bloc country.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
garrybelka 9y ago
Mandelstam was writing in the XXth century. Who could be other contenders? Solzh? Iskander? Rasputin? Nabokov? The Faculty of Useless Knowledge? Life and Fate? Moscow - Petushki?
- idlewords 9y ago
  Andrei Bely. Nabokov considered Petersburg one of the top four novels of the century (his other three were Ulysses, The Metamorphosis and In Search Of Lost Time).

StavrosK 9y ago

I'm an hour away from finishing the book, and goddamn I cannot get into it at all. It's just a bunch of random stuff happening without much connection. What is the appeal?

idlewords 9y ago
The twist ending! It's hard to answer this question. Is there any Russian literature you've read and enjoyed?
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Oops, there's a twist ending? I might just skip this thread and come back in a few days, then... I'm afraid I haven't read much other Russian literature, as I prefer scifi, so the closest I got to the Eastern bloc is Lem... I think my main problem with Master and Margarita is that I don't know much about the context of the era, and it feels like most of the book is subtle jabs at the society and political climate of the time.
  - idlewords 9y ago
    No, I was messing with you. Kevin Moss's site linked upthread is a good place to start for context that may make you retroactively enjoy the book more.
    - StavrosK 9y ago
      Damn. I have that tab open to get back to after I've finished the book, thanks!
  - int_19h 9y ago
    As far as sci-fi, you should try Strugatsky books.
    - smsm42 9y ago
      Second that, but I'd probably stay away from early books by Strugatskys - they are kind of naive and would only work for a real hardcore fan. Later ones are much deeper.
  - gonubalabala 9y ago
    It's a closure ending, and by now you understand that any closure to what you've read must involve some sort of twist.
  - smsm42 9y ago
    Bulgakov also did sci-fi - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fatal_Eggs I'm not sure it would work in translation though - as the plot goes, it would be kind of simple, especially for our 21th century eyes, but the inimitable Bulgakov style adds a lot.
geoka9 9y ago
Which edition/translation are you reading? EDIT: For me, the appeal is in the interplay of the ultra paranoid and cynical life in the Stalinist USSR and the supernatural and goofy exploits of the Devil and his entourage who happen to visit Moscow. The love story between the two main human characters is just the icing on the cake, but in my opinion not that important. Not to mention that the "book within the book" about Pontius Pilate provided an entertaining intro to one of the fundamental Biblical stories for the atheist me, although now I tend to skip it when I re-read the book every once in a while. EDIT2: Forgot to mention that the style it is written in (in Russian) is unique; it's very tongue-in-cheek: respectful to the established order and authorities on the surface but derisively satirical underneath. Nobody else wrote like that.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Ah, I'm not quite sure, it's an Audiobook from Audible.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- StavrosK 9y ago
  (After your edits:) Hmm, yes, I do agree that it is interesting to see how everyone reacts to accusations of "holding foreign currency", but I think I'm missing most of the humour because I just don't know what it was like to live in a Stalinist sociopolitical climate. I did enjoy the sub-book about Pontius Pilate indeed, and I also agree that the style feels very unique. I think the story with the Devil is just an excuse to orchestrate these unique situations and write the satirical/subversive reactions. I think that's what I don't like, the disjointed narrative without much of an arc, because I'm missing most of the subtext that is the payoff for the scenes.
  - geoka9 9y ago
    This happens to be my favorite book, so I'm sorry to hear that. I was recently recommending it to a Romanian friend (who doesn't read Russian) and I was hoping he would be able to relate to it since he's from an ex-Soviet bloc country.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

garrybelka 9y ago

Mandelstam was writing in the XXth century. Who could be other contenders? Solzh? Iskander? Rasputin? Nabokov? The Faculty of Useless Knowledge? Life and Fate? Moscow - Petushki?

idlewords 9y ago
Andrei Bely. Nabokov considered Petersburg one of the top four novels of the century (his other three were Ulysses, The Metamorphosis and In Search Of Lost Time).