The Master and Margarita

Confession number 1: Russian classics intimidate me, be it then older classics like novels by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky or somewhat newer ones like The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. However, after reading some enthusiastic and praising reviews of Bulgakov's novel I decided to give it a try.

Confession number 2: I had always thought that the devil in The Master and Margarita was symbolic. 

Confession number 3: I don't usually like novels with surreal or (too much) fantastical elements.

Well, I must say that I was very surprised to learn that Bulgakov's devil was not some symbolic evil brewing in Moscow, but a personalised devil that "comes to Moscow wearing a fancy suit" and starts creating all kinds of trouble with his accompices one of which is a large talking cat!

The structure of the story is interesting in that it takes about 180 pages until the master is introduced and even longer until we learn more about Margarita. I actually felt a bit puzzled when I first realised that Bulgakov's novel is called The Master and Margarita in English and that the original title is similar Master i Margarita. (And I did first think that the master in the title was the devil.) In Finnish the novel is called Saatana saapuu Moskovaan ( i.e. Satan Arrives in Moscow), which I actually find a better, more telling title for the book.

I must say The Master and Margarita is quite a story! It is a story were anything really can and do happen. I like innovative stories, but unfortunately I must admit that Bulgakov's book was too surreal and fantastical for me to really love it. It is a well-written novel and I am very glad I read it, but in the end it simply is not my kind of a novel. If you, however, love surreal stories or over the top fantasy, you really should read The Master and Margarita!