The Master and Margherita


Author: Mikhail Bulgakov
Rating: 5/5

cat
That's a very large black cat, or maybe it's an hippo?!

My mom first suggested me the book, which she listened to as an audio-book in her spare time.

She told me it was a masterpiece, that it was a must read in one’s lifetime.
And indeed it was.

There is something deeply poetic in the parallels that the book traces. There are a lot of characters in the book (many with complicated Russian names that sound all the same), that live seemingly unrelated events, which are all triggered by the arrival of the Devil in Moscow and the revelry of his companions.

The story is interposed by the narration of the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus seen by Pontius Pilate, on whom the titular “Master” has written a book.

It’s all very mystical, by the “gravitas” of the subjects in exam (with sources from the Bible) and also by the subtle hints and cameos that the book portraits of itself.
In particular, there’s the use of the same recurrent formula to finish the chapters that are staged in ancient Judea ("…in the month of Nisan.") or those that refer to Pilate himself ("…the horseman Pontius Pilate.").

Everything that happens seems at first glance nonsensical, but it’s all part of a little dance that provides evidence of a “grand design” that becomes apparent only rushing towards the end.

Many layers of magic

I must confess that without reading first a detailed essay on meaning of the book, I would not be able to clearly state what the underlying methaphor is.
Probably because there isn’t only one level of interpretation but different layers that change the meaning of the book based on the lenses with which is read.

Nonetheless, the continuous trail of evidence that something “greater” is afoot, the overall feeling of reverence and sublime that the book inspires make it for me a very worthy read.

My only regret is that I haven’t been able to read it with consistency (having interrupted the “flow” many times before finishing the book).

I must also note that I listened to a lesson by professor Alessandro Barbero about the beauty of the book and its relationship with Bulgakov life.
At the end the professor said he’s always moved to tears by the end of the book, and so was I.

Would strongly recommend and, indeed, read again.

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