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The Master and Margarita

By: Mikhail Bulgakov
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
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Publisher's summary

The Devil comes to Moscow, but he isn't all bad; Pontius Pilate sentences a charismatic leader to his death, but yearns for redemption; and a writer tries to destroy his greatest tale, but discovers that manuscripts don't burn. Multi-layered and entrancing, blending sharp satire with glorious fantasy, The Master and Margarita is ceaselessly inventive and profoundly moving. In its imaginative freedom and raising of eternal human concerns, it is one of the world's great novels.

Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

Featured Article: Essential Russian Authors to Know in Audio


Don’t be daunted by the towering reputations of Russia’s literary giants. Listening is the perfect way to appreciate the masters. Russia is a sprawling country with a rich and complex history, which is reflected in its literature. Whether you’re keen on brushing up on classic Russian literature or you want to find a new author to explore, we’ve rounded up 13 of the best Russian authors, classic and contemporary, whose work you should know.

Editor's Pick

From Russia with love
I recently deep-dived on Russian classics for our editors’ podcast, Audicted, focusing on Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. But guess what? Those heavy-hitters aren’t nearly as beloved back home as Bulgakov, and this book is widely considered the country’s favorite novel. I didn’t know anything could make me love Russian literature more, but that did it. This hallucinatory satire of 1930s Stalinist Moscow, in which the devil and his entourage come to town to raise hell, includes a gun-toting cat, a fascinating imagining of Pontius Pilate, and exquisite narration by Julian Rhind-Tutt. If you’re looking for what one reviewer calls 'a complete acid trip of a novel', your search ends here. —Kat J., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Master and Margarita

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One of the best books I've read in months.

No downside to this novel. If you can handle the bizarre happenings throughout it, just sit back and enjoy a wonderful ride.

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Thoroughly enjoyed the playful yet intellectual nature of this book!

Excellent book for lovers of history, Russia, occult and playful humor. I suggest this to all my friends that have an interest in Russian literature.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Bulgakov at his best!

An excellent performance of a wonderful novel! I loved every minute of the story and the narration.

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Amazingly rich and deep

This book is a world on its own, worth re-reading and obsessing over its content. One really needs to know the history and context of Soviet Union in order to understand the great sense of humor of this book. While reading I felt motivated to go online and decipher the meaning of many stories and symbols used throughout the text, which only made me appreciate it even more.
Plus the audio is great quality, and great portrayal of many absurd and funny characters.

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Great book.

The plot is insane and ingenious at the same time. It a bit blasphemous for Christians at times, but it’s not hateful.

Only weird thing is the English actor (who reads it well) with his English accent for all Russian characters. The USSR is practically a character. I’d liked to have heard a Russian accent throughout.

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Bravo! Incredible Story

Very surreal and vivid story. There’s a lot to learn from the contrasts of good and evil with the presence of the devil in the 21st century

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Requires that you be a believer…

…to fully appreciate its satire.

Probably not worth your time if you aren’t unless you simply want to study it’s excellent character development and method of storytelling.

Voice performance is a little eccentric. Well, more than a little. The narrator is difficult to follow at times.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth the effort

The Master and Margarita lurches violently between different tones farcical, romantic, surreal, tragic, and back again). I enjoyed parts of it more than others. The chapters that actually deal with the eponymous Master and Margarita and their pact with the devil and his minions are wonderful: poetic, intellectual and comic, often all at the same time. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to get to these sections, as much of the novel consists of farcical satire on various comical minor characters who are probably funny if you are familiar with life in 1930s Moscow, but merely feel like a lot of irritating wittering if you're not. I found myself frequently wanting to hit the chapter skip button.

Still, this may be just a matter of personal taste, and if anyone can get you through the more irksome chapters, it's Julian Rhind-Tutt, whose performance is quite brilliant, capturing the mixture of tones extremely well, injecting a scabrous nastiness into the farcical scenes, and giving the Devil a wonderfully lugubrious smugness.

The ending is spellbinding and I'm glad I persisted with this audiobook. It's a slog sometimes, but it's worth the journey.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Master and Margarita

What a superb novel, and what a truly outstanding performance. Never a dull moment. Post romanticism at its best. The whole thing a kind of creepy Chagall window.

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14 people found this helpful

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Only if you're serious about experiencing this book!

The paperback version (translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Conner) was a delightful challenge to read; this Audible version filled in what was missing. I've attained the proper experience with this masterpiece.

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1 person found this helpful