The Master and Margarita

By: Mikhail Bulgakov

Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt

The Devil comes to Moscow, but he isn't all bad; Pontius Pilate sentences a charismatic leader to his death, but yearns for redemption; and a writer tries to destroy his greatest tale, but discovers that manuscripts don't burn. Multi-layered and entrancing, blending sharp satire with glorious fantasy, The Master and Margarita is ceaselessly inventive and profoundly moving. In its imaginative freedom and raising of eternal human concerns, it is one of the world's great novels.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

An authentic Soviet-era masterpiece

Without a doubt the best novel I have read in years. I cannot shake the feeling that there are multiple layers of references that I am missing through my own ignorance of Eastern European history in general and 1930s Russian society in particular. Even without that, it is enormously entertaining. It is also somewhat telling how similar Soviet Russia and the US are when you get right down to cases. And human nature is universal no matter what kind of system you try to impose on it.

It is a fairly densely written novel. Apart from a number of Moscow-specific place references, it assumes some familiarity with the New Testament, the Faust story, and their influence on European history in the intervening centuries. All of this is put into play in the service of a satire on contemporary Soviet society in the pre-World War II period. It is of course much more than a mere social satire.

While there is a comic tone that runs throughout most of the book, there are serious aspects as well. I am hard put to think of another book that touches on so many different aspects of humanity. The title characters manage to stay out of center stage through most of it; perhaps their essential dignity shelters them in some way... In any case, the book functions at a number of levels. It is eminently satisfying. I was sorry it had to end. Even though there were some unanswered questions, it still felt like the book had reached its natural place of conclusion, and I was happy to leave things exactly the way the author chose to leave them.

Masterful story with a history of it's own..

Would you listen to The Master and Margarita again? Why?

Definitely this version - because of story and performance. If this is not deemed a classic, it well should be!

What did you like best about this story?

There were so many parallel themes and intricacies reflecting the time and the place, the complexities of the Russian experience, the fallibility of humanity and the logic of insanity as a fallacy. I think the best part for me was that it was story driven, as it was likely too complex to be a completely character driven satire. I specifically enjoyed how the stories wound together in the end, with so much varied detail coming to a definite and solid point.

What does Julian Rhind-Tutt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Rhind-Tutt brought life to the characters with consistent and comedic voices and accents. Though the writing did this in itself, his performance also kept you on the edge - waiting for each sentence in eager anticipation. One of the best I have heard!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Devil will care!

Any additional comments?

Master and Margarita were given release from the torture of a life that had escaped them, especially the Master, but by extension of relationship, Margarita too. And she had, with the help of Woland and his entourage, found a kind of salvation from her life of loneliness and despair - her broken heart wondering about the fate which had befallen Master - and had somewhat embraced her rebellious nature and her role as a witch. They were granted peace by a merciful Satan -- brilliantly done by the artist Bulgakov! I believe the translation was superb. The literature, had it been written in English first, was masterful even.

Masterpiece, really needed editing though

Like all Russian authors of the time, lacked some editing as it is longer than it really needs to be.

Still a masterpiece though.

And great vocal performance by the narrator.

SO FANTASTIC AND ABSURD!

I will be reading this again for sure so much to digest it was wonderful and the narration gives so much life to the characters.

So much fun

Eccentric, wild and breathtaking. This is a truly imaginative and engrossing tale of the devil, magic and more.