When I shared an image of my “The Master and Margarita” collection recently on Twitter/X (after a new arrival, courtesy of the wonderful @pigiron) it occurred to me that a reread would be lovely, particularly as I could coincide this with the “Reading the Meow” event. IIRC I had even considered this and discussed it last year for the event, but time was alas against me. However this year everything seemed aligned: I had reread my review of it, reminding myself of how much I adore the book, and I had time to return to it before the event. Add in that there are translations I haven’t yet read, and that I was very much in the mood for the book after “Summer in Baden-Baden”, and it does seem that the fates were telling me to pick up Bulgakov‘s masterpiece…

So needless to say, I did! I chose the Hugh Aplin translation from 2008 published by Alma Classics; I’ve always got on well with Aplin’s renderings and this one was no exception. And there was a wonderful Bank Holiday at the end of May which allowed me to switch off and immerse myself in the book, which I did, and it really was the most transporting experience.

Back in 2015 I did write a very involved review of the book, and I don’t plan to go into such depth this time round as I very much agree with what I wrote and feel just the same about the book. So I’ll link it below for those who might be interested, but I will add in some extra points which struck me this time round…

  • The housing situation in Moscow – I picked up on this during my last read, but noticed that it really is a driver for much of the plot. Citizens will behave appallingly when the prospect of a new apartment is at stake!
  • Corruption, and the two tier system under Soviet rule – the stark differences between the haves and the have-nots are very clearly laid out in the book, with the contrast between those in favour (the various overfed authors at Griboyedovs, and the Master living simply in a basement) being quite dramatic. Corruption is rife, and the situation is just the same as it was before the Revolution with just a different top layer in charge.
  • Following on from that, the social commentary really stood out in this reading; Bulgakov was critiquing the system quite openly, albeit couched in fantasy events, and I’m not surprised he was writing for the drawer.
  • Primuses – even more noticeable on a third reading, obviously related to the housing question, and always hilarious when in the hands of that wonderful feline, Behemoth!
  • Speaking of Behemoth, I still adore his and Korovyev’s wild adventures!
  • Bezdomny/’Homeless’ – I paid more attention to his plight this time round, and his resolution is full of pathos.
  • The love story – the tale of the Master and Margarita, which gives its title to the book, is very moving. I read the Master as Bulgakov and Margarita as his third wife, Yelena. Interesting, though, how it’s not necessarily the most important part of the book – subsequent readings may have me thinking more deeply about this! The resolution of their story is, however, beautifully done and I felt absolutely sure it was the right one this time round.
  • Pilate – once more, I felt sympathy for the character; I had remembered there being more Yershalaim sections that it felt like there were on this revisit.
  • The fun of it all – this *is* a wonderfully entertaining book, contrasting the wild chaos caused by Woland and his gang with the more serious issues at stake; I remembered the set pieces very well this time round, and relished them.

These are just a few things which occurred to me on this read,and I have to say that it’s quite obvious that M&M is book which repays repeat visits and has so much more to say each time round. I have to say that this was an epic read, where I became totally immersed and transported by the book, and as always with this, I got to the end just wanting to start reading it again. This is the third time with M&M for me: the first time I read the P/V version and although I enjoyed it, I wasn’t completely enthused; the second version was the Burgin/O’Connor translation and I was completed seduced – it was with this version that I really felt I’d got the book.

My “Master and Margarita” collection!

For my third visit to Moscow in the company of Woland and the troupe, I chose the aforementioned Hugh Aplin translation and it worked brilliantly for me. I didn’t even think of it being translated as I read, which is a good sign, and as with all Almas, the book came with excellent supporting material – photographs, notes, biographical details and even a reproduction of the opening in Russian! So a version I can recommend.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I published a long post on the book back in 2015; at the time, I said I hoped to read the Aplin version soon… Only took me nearly ten years, then! I considered reblogging it here, but instead I’ll link to it in case you want to read my thoughts in more detail – they’re here. In the meantime, thanks have to go to Literary Potpourri for hosting the “Reading the Meow” event and giving me the nudge to pick this up. I adored my re-read of “The Master and Margarita” – definitely one of the books of my life!!!