120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Come visit us this weekend! Our New Bookshop is open 8:30am-5:00pm Sat & Sun 🎉

The Master and Margarita

By Mikhail Bulgakov
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.28 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 406,450 ratings, 26,409 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Master and Margarita intertwines the story of the Devil visiting Soviet Moscow with a poignant tale of love between a tormented writer and his devoted lover. As surreal events unfold in the city, themes of good versus evil and the power of redemption resonate throughout, with fascinating jumps between Moscow and Jerusalem under Pontius Pilate's governance. The novel cleverly mixes satire and fantasy to explore deep philosophical themes.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3499
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy a blend of satire, fantasy, and romance set against the backdrop of Soviet Russia. Its richly woven narrative involves the devil visiting Moscow, offering a wild and surreal adventure with themes of love, power, and the clash between good and evil. If you're drawn to stories that offer deep philosophical insights along with a touch of the supernatural, this book promises a captivating read.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An audacious revision of the stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, The Master and Margarita is recognised 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 The novel's vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author's lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s.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, humour, 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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Master and Margarita is widely praised for its imaginative narrative and profound satirical elements. Reviewers often highlight its blend of fantasy, romance, and political commentary, noting its sophisticated intertwining of plotlines involving the Devil visiting Soviet Russia and a writer’s struggle with censorship. Its rich symbolism and wit have captivated readers, establishing it as a timeless classic in both Russian and world literature.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781419756504

Publisher: Abrams

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 September 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Abrams

Contributors:

  • Translated by Diana Burgin
  • Translated by KatherineTiernan O'Connor

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 432

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Mikhail Bulgakov

About the Author

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940) was born and educated in Kiev, where he graduated as a doctor in 1916. He rapidly abandoned medicine to write some of the greatest Russian literature of this century. He died impoverished and blind in 1940, shortly after completing his masterpiece, The Master and Margarita.

Also by Mikhail Bulgakov

View all
  • The Master and Margarita
    A masterpiece - a classic of twentieth-century fiction - New York Times In Bulgakov's allegorical masterpiece of Stalin's regime, the devil is making a personal appearance in Moscow. He is accompanied by various demons, including a naked girl and a huge black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full, and the forces of law and order are in disarray....
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Master And Margarita
    Mikhail Bulgakov's devilish salute to artistic freedom, now in a beautiful clothbound edition. Written in secret during the darkest days of Stalin's reign, The Master and Margarita became an overnight literary phenomenon when it was finally published, signalling artistic freedom for Russians everywhere. Bulgakov's carnivalesque satire of Soviet life describes how the Devil, trailing fire and chaos in his wake,...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Dead Man's Memoir (A Theatrical Novel)
    A new translation of one of the most popular satires on the Russian Revolution and on Soviet society - first time in Penguin Classics. This is Bulgakov's semi-autobiographical story of a writer who fails to sell his novel and fails to commit suicide. When his play is taken up by the theatre, literary success beckons, but he has reckoned without...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The White Guard
    As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, this is a highly topical reprint of Bulgakov's classic novel. Set in his native Kyiv in 1918, it vividly dramatizes a critical and contested period in the history of both countries, in which nationalists and Bolsheviks—amongst others—struggle for ascendancy. Kiev—Kyiv—is in chaos. Russia has withdrawn from World War I, but the Germans have set...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Hardback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Master and Margarita (Vintage Classic Russians Series)
    The Vintage Classics Russians Series - sumptuous editions of the greatest books to come out of Russia during the most tumultuous period in its history. A masterpiece - a classic of twentieth-century fiction - New York Times Bulgakov paints a powerful picture of Stalin's regime in this allegorical classic. The devil makes a personal appearance in Moscow accompanied by various...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Dog's Heart
    A Dog's Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov is now available in a new translation, fresh to Penguin Classics. This is Bulgakov's surreal tale of a Moscow doctor who befriends a stray dog and performs on it a human transplant—with disastrous consequences.
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Backorder
    Ships mid October
  • Diaboliad and Other Stories: New Translation
    In Bulgakov’s Diaboliad, the modest and unassuming office clerk Korotkov is summarily sacked for a trifling error from his job at the Main Central Depot of Match Materials and tries to seek out his newly assigned superior, responsible for his dismissal. His quest through the labyrinth of Soviet bureaucracy takes on the increasingly surreal dimensions of a nightmare. This early...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Dog's Heart
    90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books What would happen if a doctor implanted the pituitary gland and testicles of a man into the body of a stray dog? In Mikhail Bulgakov's topsy-turvy world, the dog starts to walk on two legs, drink, smoke, thieve, chase women, and recite every swear word in Russian. The perfect candidate for...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • White Guard
    The first complete and accurate English translation of Bulgakov’s classic novel, accompanied by a substantial historical introduction. “Bulgakov’s novel not only leads us into a majestic, more-than-1,000-year-old metropolis, but also gives us an understanding of how, in a single day, the world can change as radically as if decades had passed.”—Marci Shore, The Atlantic “Bulgakov’s novel evokes the suffering of...
    By Marian Schwartz and Evgeny Dobrenko and Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $4299
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • The Heart Of A Dog
    A superb comic masterpiece and fierce parable of the Russian Revolution by the author of The Master and Margarita. WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY ANDREY KURKOV A rich, successful Moscow professor befriends a stray dog and attempts a scientific first by transplanting into it the testicles and pituitary gland of a recently deceased man. A distinctly worryingly human animal is...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Master And Margarita
    Reissued in Black Classics to coincide with the new translation of two other magnificent Bulgakov titles. The devil comes to Moscow wearing a fancy suit. With his disorderly band of accomplices—including a demonic, gun-toting tomcat—he immediately begins to create havoc. Disappearances, destruction, and death spread through the city like wildfire, and Margarita discovers that her lover has vanished in the...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Master and Margarita: New Translation
    Russia’s literary world is shaken to its foundations when a mysterious gentleman – a professor of black magic – arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a bizarre retinue of servants. It soon becomes clear that he is the Devil himself, come to wreak havoc among the cultural elite of a disbelieving capital. But the Devil’s mission quickly becomes entangled with the...
    By Mikhail Bulgakov
    Paperback
    $1699
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set (5 books)
    All five of the Court of Thorns and Roses paperbacks packaged together in a gorgeous box set. "Passionate, violent, sexy and daring." —USA TODAY on A Court of Thorns and Roses Feyre is a huntress. The skin of a wolf would bring enough gold to feed her sisters for a month. But the life of a magical creature comes at...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Set
    $9999
    Elsewhere:
    $12495
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
    The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan – Time Harry Potter magic, Taylor Swift sass, Fifty Shades-level athleticism – The Sunday Times With bits of Buffy, Game of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Mist and Fury
    A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas continues Feyre Archeron's epic journey in the world of the High Fae. Having survived the brutal trials under the Mountain, Feyre returns to the Spring Court. Though she now possesses the immortal powers of the High Fae, the traumatic experiences have left scars on her human heart. Haunted by the...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin
    The third instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, the gripping third book of the ACOTAR series, Feyre Archeron faces the ultimate battle for her world. Having returned to the Spring Court, she is determined to gather...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight
    In A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas, readers are invited to revisit the enchanting world of Prythian in a heartwarming and introspective narrative. Set against the backdrop of the Winter Solstice, Feyre Archeron and her mate Rhysand return to centre stage as they strive to restore the Night Court after the devastating conflicts of A Court...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. An unmissable companion tale to the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Silver Flames
    The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan - Time Think Game of Thrones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a drizzle of E.L. James – Telegraph Spiced with slick plotting and atmospheric world-building...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Wings and Ruin - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The third installment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Thorns and Roses - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Book cover of 'A Court of Mist and Fury' by Sarah J. Maas on a white background A Court of Mist and Fury - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Mist and Fury - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The seductive and stunning #1 bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas’s spellbinding A Court of Thorns...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all