In Soviet Moscow, God is dead, but the devil – to say nothing of his retinue of demons, from a loudmouthed, gun-toting tomcat, to the fanged fallen angel Koroviev – is very much alive. As death and destruction spread through the city like wildfire, condemning Moscow’s cultural elite to prison cells and body bags, only a madman, the Master, and Margarita, his beautiful, courageous lover, can hope to end the chaos. Written in secret during the darkest days of Stalin’s reign and circulated in samizdat form for decades, when The Master and the Margarita was finally published it became an overnight literary phenomenon, signaling artistic freedom for Russians everywhere.
Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is a dazzling mix of satire, philosophy, and the supernatural. Set in 1930s Soviet Moscow, the story weaves together three interconnected narratives: a critique of Stalinist society, a tender love story, and a profound exploration of morality and redemption. The result is a rich, surreal novel that is both entertaining and deeply thought-provoking. The first storyline introduces Woland, a mysterious figure representing the Devil, who arrives in Moscow with his quirky entourage—including Behemoth, a talking, vodka-loving cat; Koroviev, a sly trickster; Azazello, a fierce enforcer; and Hella, a seductive vampire. Together, they create chaos and expose the greed, corruption, and hypocrisy of Soviet society, driving the story forward with their dark humor and enigmatic sense of justice. Woland is not a one-dimensional villain but a symbol of justice and balance, punishing wrongdoers and challenging simplistic notions of good and evil.
The second thread centers on the Master, a disillusioned writer, and Margarita, his devoted lover. The Master’s novel, a retelling of Pontius Pilate’s condemnation of Jesus (Yeshua Ha-Notsri), has been rejected by Soviet authorities, leaving him in despair. Margarita, in her fierce love and loyalty, strikes a deal with Woland to save the Master and his work. Her transformation into a witch and her surreal midnight flight symbolize liberation from societal constraints and the redemptive power of love. The third narrative—the Master’s novel—takes readers to ancient Judea, where Pilate’s moral conflict unfolds. Pilate’s reluctant decision to condemn Yeshua to death reflects the timeless struggle between conscience and authority. His torment and eventual redemption, brought about by Yeshua’s compassion, echo the novel’s broader themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the enduring power of truth.
“You should never ask anyone for anything. Never- and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself.”
Bulgakov’s settings are as captivating as his characters. Moscow’s bureaucratic, oppressive atmosphere contrasts sharply with the wild, chaotic events Woland brings, transforming familiar places—apartments, theaters, government offices—into stages for absurdity. In contrast, the ancient Judean setting of Pilate’s story is stark and contemplative, highlighting existential and moral dilemmas. The novel’s ending ties these threads together with poetic beauty. Woland grants the Master and Margarita “peace, not light,” offering them eternal rest in a serene, idyllic realm beyond their earthly struggles. Meanwhile, Pilate is freed from his millennia-long torment and walks into the light with Yeshua. These resolutions emphasize themes of forgiveness, liberation, and the triumph of love and art over suffering and oppression.
“Punch a man on the nose, kick an old man downstairs, shoot somebody or any old thing like that, that’s my job. But argue with women in love—no thank you!”
Symbolism abounds throughout the novel, enriching its layered storytelling. Woland and his entourage represent forces of balance, justice, and the necessity of confronting moral failings. Margarita’s flight signifies personal freedom and the courage to defy societal norms for love. The surreal disruptions in Moscow serve as a distorted mirror to Soviet life, highlighting its absurdities while celebrating the power of imagination to transcend oppression.
Art and truth are central to the novel’s message. The Master’s rejected work symbolizes the suppression of creativity under totalitarian regimes. Yet, its survival through Woland’s intervention underscores the enduring power of art to challenge oppression and preserve truth. Like love, art becomes a force of redemption, offering a way to transcend human limitations.
“I don’t have any special talents, just an ordinary desire to live like a human being.”
In The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov crafts a world where the mystical and the mundane collide, creating a timeless exploration of morality, freedom, and the human spirit. It’s a novel that rewards readers with its humor, complexity, and enduring relevance, making it one of the great masterpieces of 20th-century literature.
Author Profile
Mikhail Bulgakov was born in Kyiv, Russian Empire (today part of modern Ukraine) on 3/15 May 1891. He studied and briefly practised medicine and, after indigent wanderings through revolutionary Russia and the Caucasus, he settled in Moscow in 1921. His sympathetic portrayal of White characters in his stories, in the plays The Days of the Turbins (The White Guard), which enjoyed great success at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1926, and Flight (1927), and his satirical treatment of the officials of the New Economic Plan, led to growing criticism, which became violent after the play, The Purple Island. His later works treat the subject of the artist and the tyrant under the guise of historical characters, with plays such as Molière, staged in 1936, Don Quixote, staged in 1940, and Pushkin, staged in 1943. He also wrote a brilliant biography, highly original in form, of his literary hero, Molière, but The Master and Margarita, a fantasy novel about the devil and his henchmen set in modern Moscow, is generally considered his masterpiece. Fame, at home and abroad, was not to come until a quarter of a century after his death in Moscow in 1940.
Have you read ‘The Master and Margarita’? What did you think?
