The Master and Margarita

by Mikhail Bulgakov

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In a word: weird

In a sentence: one spring day in Moscow, Satan came to town.

Synopsis: A flurry of calamity ensues when Satan and his entourage wreak havoc on Moscow. From nudity to death, seances to balls, and the reunion of true lovers, the Devil's hooligans throw the works at Moscow.

Reactions: I went into this book with no expectations other than those which naturally develop from the phrase "Russian surrealism." In this approach to my first reading, I think I may have missed some finer themes that a closer second reading and some research may reveal, but this did not detract from the overall fun of The Master and Margarita.

Each character of the Devil's retinue is equally larger-than-life in depiction and personality, adding an almost cartoon-like quality to the narrative. Absurdities flood from all sides, cropping up then dying away again seemingly just for the fun of it.

The duo of the Master and Margarita overhang the text like guardian angels moving the plot along, adding a slight metafictional quality, and representing the deeper moral contemplations the text offers. Flipping the notions of good, evil, and forgiveness on their heads, and even casting Pontius Pilate in the generous light of the moon, The Master and Margarita gives no answers, only questions.

Read if: you're in it for a dark, good time.