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I read a version with enough footnotes to help me understand that underneath a funny and beautiful book is an attempt to use satire to say something serious abo
by habosa 8y ago
I read a version with enough footnotes to help me understand that underneath a funny and beautiful book is an attempt to use satire to say something serious about the regime that Bulgakov lived under. Part of what makes this book so great is how it is effective at this goal but also just fantastic literature.
I'm a heavy reader but bad at reviews. All I can say is read this one. One of the best books I've ever read and that was clear to me before I finished it.
- Tomte 8y agoI've read/skimmed two academic books commenting on The Master and Margarita and it lessened my enjoyment. There was lots and lots of "Woland is obviously not the devil, unlike everyone assumed" and much lofty discussion that I couldn't follow at all. I'd strongly advise to leave that out, but read a more conventional commentary like the web site linked somewhere in this thread.
- innocentoldguy 8y agoI agree! I highly recommend against reading academic interpretations/critiques of any book. I graduated summa cum laude with a degree in creative writing. Much of my college study was focused on literary criticisms and theory. As someone trained in the art, I believe taking a perfectly good novel and blowing it through the enema of Marxist, Postmodernist, or Feminist activism, for instance, is the best way to shit all over an author's work.
- blablablerg 8y agoI see how you graduated summa cum laude in creative writing.
- ironic_ali 8y agoFair enough... But please explain why.
- widforss 8y agoDo you have an ISBN or link to that version?
- habosa 8y agohttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-50th-Anniversary-Penguin-Classics/dp/0143108271/ https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-50th-Anniversary-Pen...
- StavrosK 8y agoI read the book without any annotations and, while I could understand that there were references to other things, I missed those references and the general cultural context, which led me to not really like the book very much.
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- dhimes 8y agoSo, this is a bit of a shameless plug, but also relevant. My wife won an award for her fictionalized/fantasy account of the writing of TMaM, and it illuminates the context for the work. You might enjoy it. http://centerforfiction.org/awards/the-first-novel-prize/2017-winner-julie-lekstrom-himes/ http://centerforfiction.org/awards/the-first-novel-prize/201...