The Master and Margarita: A Recommendation

"So who are you in the end?"

"I am a part of that power which eternally desires evil and eternally does good"

Welcome to Moscow under Stalin's dogmatic rule. The curtain is very much drawn on this once hallowed land. The rats do feast on the carcass of Hope, long dead. This world hath been swallowed by that elusive creature of sin and suffering. To some, this place makes for the perfect servant, to others, it makes for the worst master. However, mischief would soon reign in these desecrated halls, as the Devil and his entourage descend one quiet night.

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The Master and Margarita was written by Mikhail Bulgakov who lived under the harsh conditions of Stalinism so vividly portrayed with style and panache in this book. He spent 12 years working on and refining his magnum opus, which has been praised by critics as one of the best novels of the 20th century. I myself find it truly brilliant. A work that transcends traditional genre classifications but simultaneously grounds the story on a personal level. A work that satirizes Stalinistic society but acknowledges the role of suffering in life. A work that seeks optimistic salvation through pessimistic ends. The Master and Margarita frames meditations on religion, greed, corruption, absurdity, and (to some extent) autobiographical suffering through the lens of a narrative brimming with dark humor, magical realism, confusion, and historical fiction.

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It begins on a night as dark as the spirit of Moscow itself, where a mysterious foreigner named Woland, in town to give a theatrical rendition of black magic, interrupts a conversation between two 'agreeable' writers, by which of course is meant, writers that thrive as Orpheus did, in the darkness of Soviet bureaucracy. This lavishly adorned stranger, meant to characterize both material excess and spiritual freedom makes repugnantly accurate predictions of the future and bends reality to his whimsical will. He, the Prince of Darkness, the Earl of Hell, the Ancient Serpent, the Great Dragon, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Devil, comes to Moscow in an elegantly personified form to put on a show. The absurdity of this is not meant to invoke the kind of dystopian absurdity that Kafka engaged in but rather foreground a central element that runs beneath the entire novel, namely that of duality. Woland dressing up in attire that typifies bourgeois materialism is contrasted by his focus on mysticism and black magic. The aforementioned 'agreeable' writers were writing a subversive piece on the origins of Jesus yet debated theology to ascertain the 'correct' account of Jesus' origins. The theatrical performance of Woland's black magic involved contrasting the communistic ideal of egalitarianism against the inherent self-interest and greed of the individual by making it 'rain money' and watching 'madness unfurl'. This theme of duality secretly underpinning all of the intertwining narratives in the novel gave way to what I believe was Bulgakov's treatise on the nature of reality and life itself. This is perhaps best evidenced by the following passage that sounds suspiciously reminiscent of Nietzsche:

“But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if

evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadows

disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the

shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.

Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because

of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid.”

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I do not mean to spoil the entire book for you dear reader, but instead prime you to expect these grand narratives intricately woven by Bulgakov that serve to elevate the novel's meaning and enjoyment. Instead of merely staring in amazement at the wonder of a beautiful tapestry, gawk in transcendent ecstasy at the fibers woven to make such a tapestry possible. The second 'grand narrative' if you will in this novel is the historical fiction concerning Pontius Pilate and the execution of Jesus. Once more Bulgakov highlights the degree to which man is obsessed by alleviating his suffering to the extent that all 'higher-order' concerns cease to exist. This theme is particularly telling when the reader is introduced to the 'Master' and his lover 'Margarita'. The pursuit of intellectual curiosity and artistry by the Master is forsaken as he is shunned by the academic community in Soviet Russia for not producing a manuscript that complies with the party line. The need to alleviate this 'material' suffering drives the Master towards depression and near insanity and renders him incapable of love. Bulgakov seeks to explore how such a concern for the material over the intellectual, validation over love, and society over the individual can degenerate one into a pursuit of meaninglessness. He further implies that such degeneration is by no means the Master's fault but rather inevitable given the political organization of Soviet society, thereby blending philosophical critiques with political satire, much in the same way the novel blends reality with magic.

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However, despite this call to "demand from Heaven its fairest star" and like Faust seek to grow wings to encircle the earth and the stars, the plot centers around seeking repose. Notwithstanding Margarita's Faustine efforts and deals with the Devil, the novel's protagonist seeks nothing 'beyond', nothing 'higher', nothing 'more' than eternal bliss with her lover. Thus once more demonstrating Bulgakov's insistence upon the theme of duality. Although 'higher-order' pursuits are desirable in this case repose is all that is called for. I could say so much more on this novel as it is a world unto itself but in the interest of preserving the magic for you dear reader, I shall disclose the secrets of this world no more. For everything in this world is magic except to the magician. This has already become more of a literary analysis than a book recommendation. If you feel bored during these uncertain times and would like to delve into a world more complex than any other ever created (in my humble opinion) please do pick up a copy of the book (linked below). This novel which took 12 years to write and 30 years to publish is a true testament to the sheer power of its story and stories in general. Much like the Master's own manuscripts, Bulgakov's braved the elements and thus echoes perfectly the sentiment of Woland:

"Manuscripts do not burn"