The Master and Margarita

The Master and Margarita

The cover of the 2001 Penguinpaperback edition features the painting

An Englishman in Moscow by Kazimir

Malevich.

Author Mikhail Bulgakov

Original title Мастер и Маргарита

Country Russia

Language Russian

Genre(s) Novel

Publisher Posev

Publication date 1966–1967 (in series)

& 1967 (in single

volume)

Published inEnglish

1967

Media type Print (Hardback &

Paperback)

ISBN ISBN 0141180145

(Penguin paperback)

OCLC Number 37156277

(http://worldcat.org

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Master and Margarita (Russian: Ма́стер иМаргари́та) is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, wovenaround the premise of a visit by the Devil to thefervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics[1]

consider the book to be one of the greatest novelsof the 20th century, as well as one of theforemost Soviet satires, directed against asuffocatingly bureaucratic social order.

Contents

1 History2 Plot summary3 Bulgakov Museum in Moscow4 Major characters in The Master andMargarita

4.1 Contemporary Russians4.2 Woland and his retinue4.3 Characters from The Master'snovel

5 Themes and imagery6 Major themes7 Allusions and references to other works8 Textual note9 English translations10 Allusions and references from otherworks11 Film, TV, theatrical, and graphic noveladaptations12 Footnotes13 References14 Further reading15 External links

History

Bulgakov started writing the novel in 1928. Heburnt the first manuscript of the novel in 1930,seeing no future as a writer in the Soviet Union.[2]

The work was restarted in 1931 and in 1935Bulgakov attended the Spring Festival at Spaso

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/oclc/37156277)House, a party said to have inspired the ball of thenovel.[3] The second draft was completed in 1936by which point all the major plot lines of the finalversion were in place. The third draft was finished in 1937. Bulgakov continued to polishthe work with the aid of his wife, but was forced to stop work on the fourth version fourweeks before his death in 1940. The work was completed by his wife during 1940–1941.

A censored version (12% of the text removed and still more changed) of the book was firstpublished in Moscow magazine (no. 11, 1966 and no. 1, 1967).[4] The text of all theomitted and changed parts, with indications of the places of modification, was publishedon a samizdat basis. In 1967 the publisher Posev (Frankfurt) printed a version producedwith the aid of these inserts.

In Russia, the first complete version, prepared by Anna Saakyants, was published byKhudozhestvennaya Literatura in 1973, based on the version of the beginning of 1940proofread by the publisher. This version remained the canonical edition until 1989, whenthe last version was prepared by literature expert Lidiya Yanovskaya based on all availablemanuscripts.

The Mikhail Bulgakov Museum in Moscow was vandalized on December 22, 2006, allegedlyby a religious fanatic who denounced The Master and Margarita as being satanicpropaganda.[5]

Plot summary

The novel alternates among three settings. The first is 1930s Moscow, which is visited bySatan in the guise of Woland or Voland (Воланд), a mysterious gentleman "magician" ofuncertain origin, who arrives with a retinue that includes the grotesquely dressed"ex-choirmaster" valet Koroviev (Fagotto) (Фагот, the name means "bassoon" in Russian andsome other languages), a mischievous, gun-happy, fast-talking black cat Behemoth(Бегемот, a subversive Puss in Boots, the name referring at once to the Biblical monsterand the Russian word for Hippopotamus), the fanged hitman Azazello (Азазелло, hinting ofAzazel), the pale-faced Abadonna (Абадонна, a reference to Abaddon) with a death-inflicting stare, and the witch Hella (Гелла). The havoc wreaked by this group targets theliterary elite, along with its trade union, MASSOLIT (a Soviet-style abbreviation for "Mastersof Socialist Literature", but possibly interpretable as "Literature for the Masses"; onetranslation of the book also mentions that this could be a play on words in Russian, whichcould be translated into English as something like "LOTSALIT"), its privileged HQGriboyedov's House, corrupt social-climbers and their women (wives and mistresses alike) –bureaucrats and profiteers – and, more generally, skeptical unbelievers in the human spirit.

The opening sequence of the book presents a direct confrontation between the unbelievinghead of the literary bureaucracy, Berlioz (Берлиоз), and an urbane foreign gentleman whodefends belief and reveals his prophetic powers (Woland). This is witnessed by a young andenthusiastically modern poet, Ivan Bezdomniy (Иван Бездомный – the name means"Homeless"). His futile attempt to chase and capture the "gang" and warn of their evil andmysterious nature lands Ivan in a lunatic asylum. Here we are introduced to The Master, anembittered author, the petty-minded rejection of whose historical novel about PontiusPilate and Christ has led him to such despair that he burns his manuscript and turns hisback on the "real" world, including his devoted lover, Margarita (Маргарита). Majorepisodes in the first part of the novel include Satan's magic show at the Variety Theatre,

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Bulgakov Museum inMoscow

satirizing the vanity, greed and gullibility of the new rich; and the capture and occupationof Berlioz's apartment by Woland and his gang.

Part 2 introduces Margarita, the Master's mistress, who refuses to despair of her lover or hiswork. She is invited to the Devil's Walpurgis Night midnight ball, then made an offer bySatan (Woland), and accepts it, becoming a witch with supernatural powers. This coincideswith the night of Good Friday, linking all three elements of the book together, since theMaster's novel also deals with this same spring full moon when Christ's fate is sealed byPontius Pilate and he is crucified in Jerusalem.

The second setting is the Jerusalem of Pontius Pilate, described by Woland talking toBerlioz and echoed in the pages of the Master's rejected novel, which concerns PontiusPilate's meeting with Yeshua Ha-Nozri (Иешуа га-Ноцри, Jesus the Nazarene), hisrecognition of an affinity with and spiritual need for him, and his reluctant but resignedand passive handing over of him to those who wanted to kill him.

The third setting is the one to which Margarita provides a bridge. Learning to fly andcontrol her unleashed passions (not without exacting violent retribution on the literarybureaucrats who condemned her beloved to despair), and taking her enthusiastic maidNatasha with her, she enters naked into the world of the night, flies over the deep forestsand rivers of Mother Russia; bathes, and, cleansed, returns to Moscow as the anointedhostess for Satan's great Spring Ball. Standing by his side, she welcomes the dark celebritiesof human history as they pour up from the opened maw of Hell.

She survives this ordeal without breaking, and for her pains and her integrity she isrewarded: Satan offers to grant Margarita her deepest wish. She chooses to liberate theMaster and live in poverty and love with him. However, neither Woland nor Yeshua thinksthis is a kind of life for good people, and the couple leaves Moscow with the Devil, as itscupolas and windows burn in the setting sun of Easter Saturday. The Master and Margaritaleave and as a reward for not having lost their faith they are granted "peace" but aredenied "light", i.e. salvation.

Bulgakov Museum in Moscow

Bulgakov's old flat, in which parts of The Master andMargarita are set, has since the 1980s become a gatheringspot for Bulgakov's fans, as well as Moscow-based Satanistgroups, and had various kinds of graffiti scrawled on thewalls. The numerous paintings, quips, and drawings werecompletely whitewashed in 2003. Previously the best drawingswere kept as the walls were repainted, so that several layersof different colored paints could be seen around the bestdrawings. The building's residents, in an attempt to deterloitering, are currently attempting to turn the flat into amuseum of Bulgakov's life and works. To date (February,2005), they have had trouble contacting the flat's anonymous owner.[6]

On December 22, 2006, the museum in Bulgakov's flat was damaged by an anti-satanistprotester and disgruntled neighbor, Alexander Morozov.[7][8]

The Bulgakov museum in Moscow remains open and contains personal belongings, photos,and several exhibitions related to Bulgakov's life and his different works. There is a

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fantastic museum and different poetic and literary events are often being held in the flat.The museum's web site (http://www.bulgakovmuseum.ru/) is only available in Russian butthe entrance is free and its opening hours are 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. The flat is located close toMayakovskaya metro station on the Sadovaya street, 10 (http://maps.mail.ru/msk/default.asp?idx=5941&idy=11125&idl=%D1%E0%E4%EE%E2%E0%FF%20%C1.%20%F3%EB.,%2010|Bolshaya) .

Major characters in The Master and Margarita

Contemporary Russians

The MasterAn author who has written a novel about the meeting of Pontius Pilate and YeshuaHa-Nozri (Jesus of Nazareth). Put away in a psychiatric clinic, where Bezdomny meetshim.

MargaritaThe Master's lover. Trapped in a passionless marriage; devoted herself to The Master,who she believes is dead. Does not appear until second half of the novel, where sheserves as the hostess of Satan's Grand Ball on Walpurgis Night. She is named afterFaust's Gretchen – whose real name is Margarita – as well as Marguerite de Valois.Marguerite was the main character in an opera, Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeerwhich Bulgakov particularly enjoyed, and a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père, La ReineMargot. In these accounts the queen is portrayed as daring and passionate. Thecharacter was also inspired by Bulgakov's last two wives, the first of whom lovedaction and was physically daring, while the last was devoted to his work in the sameway as Margarita is to the Master.

Mikhail Alexandrovich BerliozHead of the literary bureaucracy MASSOLIT, sentenced by Woland to death for hisatheistic sentiment. He bears the last name of the French composer, Hector Berliozwho wrote the opera the Damnation of Faust. Got hit by a streetcar.

Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov (Bezdomny)A young, aspiring poet. His pen name Bezdomny means "homeless". Initially a willingtool of the MASSOLIT apparatus, he is transformed by the events of the novel.Witnesses Berlioz's death.

Stephan Bogdanovich LikhodeyevDirector of the Variety Theatre and Berlioz's roommate. Often called by diminutivename Styopa.

Grigory Danilovich RimskyTreasurer of the Variety Theatre. At one point, Rimsky is ambushed by Varenukha(who has been cursed with the dark form of a vampire by Woland). He barely escapesthe encounter and he is forced to flee to the train station to get away. The night ofWoland's performance is the same night that Rimsky and the ghost meet.

Ivan Savelyevich VarenukhaHouse-manager of the Variety Theatre. He is turned into a creature of darkness but isforgiven by the end of Walpurgistnacht - restoring his humanity.

NatashaMargarita's maid, later turned into a witch.

Nikanor Ivanovich BosoyChairman of the House Committee at 302B Sadovaya Street-former residence ofBerlioz.

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Behemoth, Kiev,Andriyivskyy Descent

Woland and his retinue

WolandA "foreign professor" who is "in Moscow to present a performance of 'black magic' andthen expose its machinations". The exposure (as one could guess) never occurs,instead Woland exposes the greed and bourgeois behaviour of the spectatorsthemselves. Satan in disguise.

BehemothAn enormous (said to be as large as a hog) black cat, capableof standing on two legs and talking. He has a penchant forchess, vodka and pistols. In Russian, "Begemot". The worditself means hippopotamus in Russian as well as the Biblicalcreature.

Koroviev/FagottoA purported "ex-choirmaster"; this may imply that Korovievwas once a member of an angelic choir. Woland's assistant.

AzazelloA menacing, fanged and wall-eyed member of Woland'sretinue.

HellaBeautiful, redheaded witch. Serves as maid to Woland and hisretinue. Remarked as being "perfect, were it not for a purple scar on her neck" – thescar suggesting that she is also a vampiress.

AbadonnaThe pale-faced, black-goggled angel of death.

Characters from The Master's novel

Pontius PilateThe Roman Procurator of Judaea, a procurator in this case being a governor of a smallprovince.

Yeshua Ha-NozriWanderer, "mad philosopher", as Pilate calls him, whose name means Jesus ofNazareth, though some commentators dispute the "of Nazareth" interpretation.[9]

AphraniusHead Of the Roman Secret Service in Judaea.

Matthew LeviA Levite and former tax collector. Follower of Yeshua.

Joseph KaifaThe High Priest of Judaea

Judas IscariotTestified against Yeshua thus causing him to be sentenced to death; later killed onPilate's orders.

Themes and imagery

Ultimately, the novel deals with the interplay of good and evil, innocence and guilt,courage and cowardice, exploring such issues as the responsibility towards truth whenauthority would deny it, and the freedom of the spirit in an unfree world. Love and

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sensuality are also dominant themes in the novel. Margarita's devotional love for theMaster leads her to leave her husband, but she emerges victorious. Her spiritual union withthe Master is also a sexual one. The novel is a riot of sensual impressions, but theemptiness of sensual gratification without love is emphatically illustrated in the satiricalpassages. However, the stupidity of rejecting sensuality for the sake of emptyrespectability is also pilloried in the figure of the neighbour who becomes Natasha'shog-broomstick. The interplay of fire, water, destruction and other natural forces providesa constant accompaniment to the events of the novel, as do light and darkness, noise andsilence, sun and moon, storms and tranquility, and other powerful polarities. There is acomplex relationship between Jerusalem and Moscow throughout the novel, sometimespolyphony, sometimes counterpoint.

The novel is heavily influenced by Goethe's Faust, and its themes of cowardice, trust,intellectual curiosity, and redemption are prominent. Part of its literary brilliance lies inthe different levels on which it can be read, as hilarious slapstick, deep philosophicalallegory, and biting socio-political satire critical of not just the Soviet system but also thesuperficiality and vanity of modern life in general – jazz is a favourite target, ambivalentlike so much else in the book in the fascination and revulsion with which it is presented.But the novel is also full of modern amenities like the model asylum, radio, street andshopping lights, cars, lorries, trams, and air travel. There is little evident nostalgia for any"good old days" – in fact, the only figure in the book to even mention Tsarist Russia is Satanhimself. In another of its facets, perhaps showing a different aspect of Goethe's influence,the book is a Bildungsroman with Ivan as its focus. Furthermore, there are strong elementsof Magical Realism in the novel.

A memorable and much-quoted line in The Master and Margarita is: "manuscripts don't burn"(Russian: рукописи не горят). The Master is a writer who is plagued by both his own mentalproblems and the oppression of Stalin's regime in the Moscow of the 1930s. He burns histreasured manuscript in an effort to hide it from the Soviet authorities and cleanse his ownmind from the troubles the work has brought him. Woland later gives the manuscript backto him saying, "Didn't you know that manuscripts don't burn?" There is an autobiographicalelement reflected in the Master's character here, as Bulgakov in fact burned an early copyof The Master and Margarita for much the same reasons.

Major themes

The ironies of the relationship between social power and Art are essential to the dramatictension in the book. Shelley remarks in "A Defence of Poetry" that "poets are theunacknowledged legislators of the world", and as a poet/writer, the Master is sounacknowledged that he feels more at home in a lunatic asylum than in society, where heis subject to the whims of the actual legislators of the world, such as the bureaucrats ofMassolit and their political masters. But the whole novel is directed at demonstrating towhat it depicts as the corrupt philistines in power that they are less in control than theymight wish. Above all they have no control over death or the spirit. They might mobilizethe forces of darkness themselves, but fall short in a face-to-face contest with the Princeof Darkness – and contests of this kind provide the content of most of the Moscow chaptersof the first part of the novel. It is notable that Bulgakov attacks no actual political leaders.His targets are all minions of one kind or another, albeit comfortably placed minions, likeBerlioz, the head of Massolit, the literary bureaucracy. Despite the grand gestures ofuniversality – darkness and light, the world and the stars, historical and geographical range– the novel is to a great extent a psycho-drama playing itself out in the literary world. The

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protagonists are the Academy and Bohemia. Even Pilate and Christ clash on these terms ofauthority vs authenticity. Bulgakov induces a "willing suspension of disbelief" almost aseffective as the tricks pulled off in the Variety by Woland, Fagotto the valet and Behemoththe cat. Georg Lukacs's remarks on naturalism and modernism in the references given beloware relevant to this novel, too – focus on either the close-up surface texture of society, orthe distant mystery of the stars at night. Treating the doings of a narrow circle as affairs ofuniversal significance, and so on.

An allegorical/satirical aspect of the first part of the book that needs a lot moreexploration is its treatment of the Seven Deadly Sins in Stalinist Moscow and the wayBulgakov makes the punishment fit the crime. For example, in Berlioz, atheist Pride getsits head sliced off. The Vanity of the nouveau riche bureaucrats and their wives evaporatesto expose their nakedness after the orgy of flashy new clothes at Woland's variety show. Ahoarder is humiliated for his Avarice. Gribodev's restaurant is a mecca of Gluttony.

The portrayal of women shares this "cosmic" contrast in perspectives, too (exploited togreat dramatic effect). Natasha seeks her freedom in witchdom, and Margarita fleesrespectability (submission to authority) to devote herself to the service of her lover(authenticity). She saves him, as Gretchen saves Faust in Goethe's plays, but likewise onlybecause of the heroic challenge he has mounted to the "peace of the graveyard". "Das ewigWeibliche zieht uns hinan", Goethe wrote at the end of Faust – "the eternal feminine drawsus onward" – and the feeling is the same in The Master and Margarita. Most of the otherfemale characters in the book are wives or mistresses of males in positions with somesocial clout.

Allusions and references to other works

The novel is influenced by the Faust legend, particularly the first part of the Goetheinterpretation and the opera by Charles Gounod. Also the work of Nikolai Gogol is a heavyinfluence, as is the case with many of Bulgakov's novels. The dialogue between PontiusPilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri is strongly influenced by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's parable "TheGrand Inquisitor" from The Brothers Karamazov. [10] The novel references Tolstoy's AnnaKarenina in the luckless visitors chapter "everything became jumbled in the Oblonskyhousehold". The theme of the Devil exposing society as an apartment block, as it could beseen if the entire facade would be removed, has some precedents in The Crippled Devil(1641) by the Spaniard Luís Vélez de Guevara (famously adapted to 18th century France byLesage's Le Diable boiteux).

Textual note

The final chapters are late drafts that Bulgakov pasted to the back of his manuscript; hedied before he could incorporate these chapters into a completed fourth draft.

English translations

There are quite a few published English translations of The Master and Margarita, includingbut not limited to the following:

Mirra Ginsburg, New York: Grove Press, 1967.Michael Glenny, New York: Harper & Row, 1967; London: Harvill, 1967; with

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introduction by Simon Franklin, New York: Knopf, 1992; London: Everyman's Library,1992.Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor, annotations and afterword by EllendeaProffer, Ann Arbor: Ardis, 1993, 1995.Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, London: Penguin, 1997.Michael Karpelson, Lulu Press, 2006.Hugh Aplin, One World Classics, 2008. ISBN 978-1-84749-014-8

Ginsburg's translation was from a censored Soviet text and is therefore incomplete.

The early translation by Glenny runs more smoothly than that of the modern translations;some Russian-speaking readers consider it to be the only one creating the desired effect,though it may be somewhat at liberty with the text.[11] The modern translators pay fortheir attempted closeness by losing idiomatic flow.

However, according to Kevin Moss, who has at least two published papers on the book inliterary journals, the early translations by Ginsburg and Glenny are quite hurried and lackmuch critical depth.[12] As an example, he claims that the more idiomatic translations missBulgakov's "crucial" reference to the devil in Berlioz's thought:

"I ought to drop everything and run down to Kislovodsk." (Glenny)"It's time to throw everything to the Devil and go to Kislovodsk." (Burgin, TiernanO'Connor)"It's time to send it all to the devil and go to Kislovodsk." (Pevear, Volokhonsky)"To hell with everything, it's time to take that Kislovodsk vacation." (Karpelson)

Several literary critics have hailed the Burgin/Tiernan O’Connor translation as the mostaccurate and complete English translation, particularly when read in tandem with thematching annotations by Bulgakov’s biographer, Ellendea Proffer.[13] Note that thesejudgements predate the translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky.

Limited information is available, at the time of this writing, regarding the 2006 Karpelsontranslation.

The new graphic novel published by British publishing house Self Made Hero, adapted byAndrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal, provides a fresh visual translation/interpretationof the original.

Allusions and references from other works

Various authors and musicians have credited The Master and Margarita as inspiration forcertain works.

Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, was influenced by Bulgakov's masterwork.It is claimed that Mick Jagger was inspired by the novel in writing the song "Sympathyfor the Devil".[1] (http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/masterpiece/2002/01/14/sympathy/index.html) , [2] (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595877/sympathy_for_the_devil)The grunge band Pearl Jam were influenced by the novel's confrontation betweenYeshua Ha-Nozri and Pontius Pilate for the song, "Pilate" on their 1998 album "Yield".The Lawrence Arms based their album The Greatest Story Ever Told on the book andseveral of its themes.

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The Franz Ferdinand song "Love and Destroy" was based on a scene where Margaritaflies over Moscow on her way to the Walpurgis Night Ball.The Canadian group The Tea Party also were inspired by this book when they wrotetheir song "The Master and Margarita."Arlie Carstens sings the line "Bulgakov to Woland's crowd," on the Juno song "TheFrench Letter" from their album A Future lived in Past Tense.Elefant, a New York City-based group, released The Black Magic Show in April 2006.The title and first track reference Satan's magic show.Brakes's song "Margarita" from the album The Beatific Visions was inspired by thenovel.The German composer York Höller's opera Der Meister und Margarita was premiered in1989 at the Paris Opéra and released on CD in 2000.Jolie Holland has said that the song "Amen" from her album Escondida was inspired bythe book (Margarita's flight), and that she would devote an album to it in the future.Surrealist artist H. R. Giger named a 1976 painting of his after the novel. The paintingwas later featured on the cover of Danzig's 1992 album Danzig III: How the Gods Kill.In the videogame Grand Theft Auto 4, a mission is entitled "The Master and TheMolotov", in which you kill a Russian man named Mikhail Faustin.Ogan Gurel's novel Waves, a 21st century version of the Faust legend, was inspired byThe Master and Margarita. In addition to sharing the Faustian theme, Waves, like TheMaster and Margarita has a frame narrative structure. The phrase 'рукописи не горят'('manuscripts don't burn') is referenced in Chapter 30 of Waves.In Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, V quotes "Please allow me to introduce myself, I am aman of wealth and taste." when he confronts Bishop Anthony Lilliman.

Film, TV, theatrical, and graphic novel adaptations

In November 1989, Roman Polanski was approached by Warner Bros to adapt anddirect a film version of the novel. The project was subsequently dropped by Warnersdue to budgetary concerns and the studio's belief that the subject matter was nolonger relevant due to the fall of the Berlin wall. Polanski has described his script asthe best he has ever adapted.

1971: Polish director Andrzej Wajda makes a movie Pilate and Others for German TV,based on biblical part of the book ('The Master's manuscript').[14]

1972: Joint Italian-Yugoslavian production of Aleksandar Petrović's "The Master andMargaret" (Italian: "Il Maestro e Margherita", Serbo-Croatian: "Majstor i Margarita") isreleased. Based loosely on the book, the main discrepancy is that Master in the moviehas an actual name of Nikolaj Afanasijevic Maksudov, while in the original bookMaster is persistently anonymous.[15]

1978: Stage production directed by Andrei Serban at the New York Public Theater,starring John Shea. This seems to be the version revived in 1993 (see below).

c.1982 stage production at the Taganka Theater in Moscow

1989: Another Polish director Maciej Wojtyszko makes "Mistrz i Małgorzata", mini-TVseries of four episodes.[16] They have been aired on Russian TV at least once.

1992: In an adaptation called "Incident in Judaea" by Paul Bryers, only the Yeshua

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story is told. The film includes a prologue which mentions Bulgakov and the otherstory-lines. The cast includes John Woodvine, Mark Rylance, Lee Montague and JimCarter. The film was distributed by Brook Productions and Channel 4.

1993: The Theatre for the New City produced a stage adaptation in New York City,originally commissioned by Joseph Papp and the Public Theatre. The adaptation wasby Jean-Claude van Italie. It was directed by David Willinger and featured a cast of 13including Jonathan Teague Cook as Woland, Eric Rasmussen as Matthew Levi, CesarRodriguez as Yeshua Ha Nozri, Eran Bohem as The Master and Lisa Moore as Margarita.This version was published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc. A French version using partof van Itallie’s text was performed at the Theatre de Mercure, Paris, directed byAndrei Serban.

1994: A Russian movie of the same name is made by Yuri Kara. Although the castincluded big names and talented actors (Anastasiya Vertinskaya as Margarita, MikhailUlyanov as Pilate, Nikolai Burlyayev as Yeshua, Valentin Gaft as Woland, AleksandrFilippenko as Korovyev-Fagot) and its score was by the noted Russian composer AlfredSchnittke, the movie was never actually released on any media. The grandson ofBulgakov's third wife Elena Sergeevna Shilovskaya claims, as a self-assigned heir, therights on Bulgakov's literary inheritance and refuses the release. Since the beginningof 2006, however, copies of the movie exist on DVD. Some excerpts of it can beviewed on the Master and Margarita (http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/)website.[17]

A German language stage adaptation of the novel, "Der Meister und Margarita",directed by Frank Castorf (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Castorf) premiered inthe summer of 2002 at the Wiener Festwochen (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiener_Festwochen) , Vienna, Austria, and is discussed in theAugust/September 2002 or 08|09 02 issue (http://www.theaterheute.de/2004-fr.html) of the German language theater magazine, Theater heute(http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_heute) . (Use the Archive link on the left atthe above site to access information for 2002 issues.)

2004: The National Youth Theatre produces a stage adaptation at the LyricHammersmith London, directed by John Hoggarth. The adaptation is by David Rudkin.It features a cast of 35, most notably Matt Smith as Basoon, Tom Allen as Woland,Luke Rabbito as Matthew Levi, Shane Zaza as Yeshua Ha Nozri, John Hollingworth asThe Master, Shakira Brooking as Margarita. It ran for a month, in August andSeptember.

An adaptation of the novel by director Steven Pimlott was staged in 2004 at theChichester Festival Theatre, UK.[3] (http://www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/archives/000151.php) The cast included Samuel West and the productionincluded incidental music by (one of Pimlott's regular composers) Jason Carr.

2005: The Master and Margarita miniseries – Russian director Vladimir Bortko, famousfor his TV adaptation of Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog and Dostoyevsky's The Idiot, makesa Master and Margarita TV miniseries of ten episodes. The miniseries was firstreleased on December 19, 2005. It starred Aleksandr Galibin as The Master, AnnaKovalchuk as Margarita, Oleg Basilashvili as Woland, Aleksandr Abdulov as Korovyev-Fagot, Kirill Lavrov as Pontius Pilate, Valentin Gaft as Kaifa, Sergey Bezrukov asYeshua. The project was widely successful, and is considered as the closest to the

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book.. However reviews were mixed, as many critics found it too archaic and lifeless.

On August 25, 2006, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he aimed to turn the novelinto "a stage musical or, more probably, an opera".[18] However, in 2007 The Stage,an online theater website, confirmed that he has abandoned his attempt to composea musical version of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. “I’ve decided thatit’s undoable. It’s just too difficult for an audience to contemplate. It’s a verycomplicated novel.”In October 2006 it was staged by Grinnell College, directed by Veniamin Smekhov.

In 2006 almost 5 hour long adaptation was staged by Georgian director AvtandilVarsimashvili.

In 2007, National Academy of Theatre, Ballet and Opera of Ukraine premiered TheMaster and Margarita, a ballet-phantasmagoria in two acts with music byShostakovich, Berlioz, Bach, et al. Choreography and staging by David Avdysh(Russia), set design by Simon Pastukh (USA) and costume design by Galina Solovyova(USA).

In 2007, Helsinki, Finland. Production is put on stage under the name "Saatana saapuuMoskovaan" (Satan comes to Moscow) by the group theatre Ryhmäteatteri [4](http://www.ryhmateatteri.fi) , directed by Finnish director Esa Leskinen. Eleventalented actors played in 26 separate roles in the amazing and successful theathricalperformance of three hours during the season 25.9.2007 - 1.3.2008.

In 2007, Alim Kouliev in Hollywood with The Master Project production startedrehearsals on stage with his own stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel TheMaster and Margarita.[19] The production was announced for October 14, 2007 but waspostponed. Some excerpts and information of it can be viewed on the Master andMargarita (http://www.masterandmargarita.eu//en/05media/masterproject.html)website.[20] The production is still in progress.[21]

The book was adapted into a graphic novel in 2008 by Andrzej Klimowski and DanusiaSchejbal.[22]

2009 Scott Steindorff owns and controls the worldwide motion picture rights. He iscurrently adapting the novel to film with plans to begin filming March of 2010

2010 Stage production directed by Christoffer Berdal at Aarhus Theatre, Denmark.

Footnotes

^ The Sword and the Shield: The MitrokhinArchive and the Secret History of the KGB(http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/a/andrew-sword.html)

1.

^ Neil Cornwell, Nicole Christian (1998).Reference guide to Russian literature(http://books.google.com/books?id=ehaZrlRY_YgC&pg=RA1-PA102&dq=master+and+margarita+burned+1930&client=opera) . Taylor & Francis.

2.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ehaZrlRY_YgC&pg=RA1-PA102&dq=master+and+margarita+burned+1930&client=opera.^ Spaso House: 75 Years of History(http://moscow.usembassy.gov/spasohistory.html) , U.S. EmbassyMoscow website(http://moscow.usembassy.gov/)

3.

^ "Master: Russian Editions4.

The Master and Margarita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Master_and_Margar...

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(http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/RUeditions.html)". http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/RUeditions.html. Retrieved 2007-01-23.^ Yahoo! News (2006-12-25). "Russianwriter's museum sacked by critic of'Satanic' work (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061225/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentrussia) ".http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061225/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentrussia.Retrieved 2007-01-23.

5.

^ Stephen, Chris. "Devil-worshipperstarget famous writer's Moscow flat". TheIrish Times, Saturday, February 5, 2005.Page 9.

6.

^ Bulgakov house destroyed(http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/en/00start/nieuws/061224vandalisme.html) , 2006-12-24

7.

^ Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov(http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/en/02themas/tegenstanders.html)

8.

^ Yeshua Ha-Notsri(http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/Yeshua.html) ,Kevin Moss(http://community.middlebury.edu/~moss/)

9.

^ Susan Amert (2002) (PDF). The Dialecticsof Closure in Bulgakov's Master andMargarita(http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/archieven/endings.pdf) .http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/archieven/endings.pdf. Retrieved2009-03-23.

10.

^ Sarvas, Mark. "The Elegant Variation: ALiterary Weblog(http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/2003/12/master_margarit.html) ".http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/2003/12/master_margarit.html.Retrieved 2006-10-25.

11.

^ Moss, Kevin. "Published EnglishTranslations (http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/Engeditions.html) ".http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/Engeditions.html.Retrieved 2006-10-25.

12.

^ Weeks, Laura D. (1996). Master andMargarita: A Critical Companion.Northwestern University Press. pp. 244.

13.

ISBN 0-8101-1212-4.^ Pilatus und andere – Ein Film fürKarfreitag (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069088/) at the Internet MovieDatabase

14.

^ Il maestro e Margherita (1972)(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068894/)at the Internet Movie Database

15.

^ "Mistrz i Malgorzata" (1990)(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405571/)at the Internet Movie Database

16.

^ Master i Margarita (1994)(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110476/)at the Internet Movie Database

17.

^ Andrew Lloyd Webber (2006-08-25)."Revealed: My next project!(http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/sections/news/newsdb.php?article=13&section=news) ".http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/sections/news/newsdb.php?article=13&section=news. Retrieved 2007-01-23.

18.

^ "United state Copyright Office. KoulievAlim. Master and Margarita.K.PAu003336612(http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=Kouliev+Alim&Search_Code=NALL&PID=YO70B7Xb8HsCujan8D5YNdq6p&SEQ=20091010161310&CNT=25&HIST) ".USA copyright office f.http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=Kouliev+Alim&Search_Code=NALL&PID=YO70B7Xb8HsCujan8D5YNdq6p&SEQ=20091010161310&CNT=25&HIST.Retrieved 2009-10-10.

19.

^ "The Master and Margarita Project.(http://www.masterandmargarita.org/) ".masterandmargarita.org.http://www.masterandmargarita.org/.Retrieved 2009-10-10.

20.

^ "The Devil World in The City of Angels(http://www.stihi.ru/2009/04/07/7575) "(in Russian). stihi.ru. http://www.stihi.ru/2009/04/07/7575. Retrieved October10, 2009.

21.

^ "The Master and Margarita: A graphicnovel by Mikhail Bulakov(http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/fiction/article3901149.ece) ". The TimesOnline.http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books

22.

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/fiction/article3901149.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-15.

References

G. Lukacs, Studies in European Realism, (Merlin, 1973)G. Lukacs, The Meaning of Contemporary Realism, (Merlin, 1974)

Further reading

Reidel-Schrewe, Ursula, "Key and Tripod in Mikhail Bulgakov's Master and Margarita",Neophilologus journal, v.79, n.2, April 1995, p. 273-282.Tumanov, Vladimir. "Diabolus ex Machina - Bulgakov's Modernist Devil." Scando-Slavica 35: 49-61.[5] (http://publish.uwo.ca/~vtumanov/Articles_files/Diabolus%20ex%20Machina%20-%20Bulgakov%27s%20Modernist%20Devil.pdf)

External links

(English) (French) (Dutch) (Russian) Master and Margarita(http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/) Amateur site, devoted solely to Bulgakov'sMaster and Margarita(Russian) Bulgakov museum in Moscow. The Odd Flat(http://www.bulgakovmuseum.ru//)(Russian) Diary of Bulgakov museum in Moscow (http://community.livejournal.com/bulgakovmuseum///)(Russian) Bulgakov museum in Russian Wikipedia (http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%B9_%D0%B8%D0%BC._%D0%9C.%D0%90.%D0%91%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0)Bulgakov and The Master and Margarita (http://cr.middlebury.edu/public/russian/Bulgakov/public_html/) : Useful introduction with lots of illustrative materialThe Master and Margarita (http://bulgakow.chkebelski.de/texts_e.html) : Excerptsin three languagesRussians Await a Cult Novel's Film Debut With Eagerness and Skepticism(http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/arts/television/19mast.html?ex=1292648400&en=82110602fa73fdd6&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss) : at The New York TimesMaster and Margarita (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403783/) at the InternetMovie Database

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