The Master and Margarita

A surreal masterpiece that weaves together the story of the Devil's visit to Soviet Moscow with a retelling of Pontius Pilate's encounter with Jesus.

When the Devil arrives in 1930s Moscow, accompanied by his retinue of demons including the giant cat Behemoth, he wreaks havoc on the city's literary establishment, exposing the hypocrisy and corruption of Soviet society. Meanwhile, the Master, a writer who has been driven to madness by the rejection of his novel about Pontius Pilate, languishes in a psychiatric hospital, cared for by his devoted lover Margarita.

Bulgakov's novel operates on multiple levels simultaneously—it's a savage satire of Soviet bureaucracy, a philosophical meditation on good and evil, a love story, and a retelling of the Christian Passion. The sections depicting Pontius Pilate's encounter with Yeshua (Jesus) are written in a completely different style from the Moscow sections, creating a dialogue between ancient and modern worlds.

The Devil, who goes by the name Woland, is not the traditional embodiment of evil but rather a figure who exposes the evil that already exists in human hearts. His supernatural interventions reveal the greed, cowardice, and moral compromises that characterize Soviet society. Bulgakov suggests that the real evil lies not in supernatural forces but in human willingness to betray their principles for comfort and security.

Margarita's love for the Master drives much of the novel's emotional power. Her willingness to literally make a deal with the Devil to save her beloved transforms her into a powerful figure who ultimately transcends both human limitations and diabolic schemes.

The novel's blend of realism and fantasy, its satirical edge, and its profound philosophical questions make it one of the most important works of 20th-century literature. Written during Stalin's reign but not published until decades later, The Master and Margarita stands as both a work of literary genius and an act of political courage.