The acclaimed, bestselling translation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterwork, an undisputed classic of Russian and world literature



An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognized as one of the essential classics of modern Russian literature. The novel’s vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author’s lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech. Now The Overlook Press is reissuing this acclaimed translation in an all-new package.



One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing to literally go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of inexhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth, a work whose nuances splendidly emerge in Diana Burgin’s and Katherine Tiernan O’Connor's superb English translation, with an afterword and extensive commentary by Ellendea Proffer.

Вершиной писательского наследия Михаила Булгакова, безусловно, стал его известный всему миру роман «Мастер и Маргарита». Это последняя книга, которую по праву считают духовным завещанием автора. В первую очередь, это философское произведение, в котором переплелись реальность и фантастика, мифические сцены и иронично-сатирическое описание быта, гротеск и искрометный юмор. Во всем чувствуется талантливая одаренность и уверенная рука Мастера. 

A 50th-anniversary Deluxe Edition of the incomparable 20th-century masterpiece of satire and fantasy, in a newly revised version of the acclaimed Pevear and Volokhonsky translation
 
Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita. One spring afternoon, the Devil, trailing fire and chaos in his wake, weaves himself out of the shadows and into Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov’s fantastical, funny, and devastating satire of Soviet life combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem, each brimming with historical, imaginary, frightful, and wonderful characters. Written during the darkest days of Stalin’s reign, and finally published in 1966 and 1967, The Master and Margarita became a literary phenomenon, signaling artistic and spiritual freedom for Russians everywhere.
 
This newly revised translation, by the award-winning team of Pevear and Volokhonsky, is made from the complete and unabridged Russian text.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. 

Жизнь у Михаила Афанасьевича Булгакова была сложная, тяжёлая, порой даже трагичная. И в то же время насыщенная, полная ярких впечатлений и событий – потому что был у него чрезвычайно зоркий глаз на происходящее вокруг – почти объектив камеры, фиксирующей некие символичные детали реальности и фантастического вымысла. Собственно, сама эпоха была такая контрастная и конфликтная, что только успевай подмечать и описывать уроки жизни.
Но кому они нужны из современников?
Лишь через три четверти века после смерти Булгаков оказался модным классиком, любимым писателем уже для нескольких поколений подряд. Его читают и цитируют, переводят и постоянно переиздают,