The Master and Margarita

A complicated read in which you really need to pay attention, especially when listening over a course of a few weeks… The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. What happens when the devil visits Russia? There are two stories interwoven, 1930s Moscow and the time of Pontius Pilate.  Young writer (aka, homeless) meeting with literary chief Berlioz, who suddenly dies when confronted by the powers of Woland, have Ivan (homeless) chased into an asylum.  He later meets “the Master,” an author who wrote a novel about Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ.  It just happens his lover is Margarita (hence the name of the book, eh?).  Secret powers, thwarted love, the devil returning, and Christ’s fate at the hands of Pilate are all linked in the story.  Using the special powers of flight Margarita collides into Satan’s circle and fighting him off she is granted a wish, which gets freedom for a woman who endured rape and gaining a second wish she liberates the Master, but later dies after drinking a potion from the Devil.  They are eventually given peace in their limbo state – no heaven or no hell, and never any light.  And the Master helps Pilate from being released from eternal damnation and freeing him.  Bulgakov is aptly able to connect the story of Pilate’s fate after Jesus' death and the Devil’s handle over much of the evils on earth through the poet’s exploration of history.  The book brings history and future into the context of Russia’s decadent region.  The writing is brilliant and the story is well crafted.  For those who like divergent stories tied together in the end, you’ll enjoy this one.  Not a huge fan of all the Russian character names, but hey, that’s the context of the setting.  Strong read.