Master and Margarita

For those concerned with translations, I am giving my opinion as a Russian speaker, and one who expects translations to convey the highest degree of exactness in experience, information, and meaning (not literal word by word exactness, as that is not a practical exactness when dealing with literature).This novel seems to be rather difficult to translate properly (at least, to my standard of translation), as it requires more accuracy and attention to detail than usual. Looking through all translations (as I usually do), it seems most just fumble or blunder through lines or sections of dialogue, changing slight meanings or tone, or worse omitting information (be it important or not is relative).Two translations are competent enough, the Burgin/O'Connor one, and this one by Aplin.Neither of them perfect, both have their flaws in certain lines. Some lines the Burgin/O'Connor translation gets better, some in Aplin's, but both are certainly better than the other existing translations.When considering between the two, I considered Aplin's faults are, on average, way more trivial, and also fewer in quantity (though i didn't check all the content of all translations, just excerpts). Aplin has proper translations of certain lines and words which all other translations get wrong. Aplin also attempts to keep the structure and order of sentences as close to the Russian original as possible, while never becoming too difficult to read or understand in English. This helps keep the tone and manner of the original Russian text, something is even more important in a satirical and comic work such as Bulgakov's, compared to something like, for example, Dostoyevsky.Considering this, I made the decision that this is the supreme translation of this Russian classic, being respectable and worthy enough to function as a replacement to the original Russian text for English speakers. Happy reading!

I was told about this book from a friend who challenged me to get through the first dozen or so chapters... I got through them alright but had no idea what was going on. I put the book down and came back to it a number of times, but would get through just a bit more each time. Eventually I got past 'that point' and read the rest of the book in a matter of days! I have reread this book numerous times and is my staple travel companion on long journeys...

I really liked this book the first time I read it, and I really liked it a lot this time as well. The book is really well written, and is a fun read.That assessment of the book does not change. It is really a good book to read. There are also a lot of allusions that have been made in the book, and I learned (and forgot) a lot, while researching the references in the book.During my first reading, I read a lot into the book, about the fundamental nature of Man, God and the Devil. The Devil does indeed walk amongst us, along paths unknown to us, and the Devil's ways are indeed mysterious.This time, I read more about human nature, and about how the Devil pokes fun of our stuffy pompous nature. I read more into the fragile fabric of human society than into the struggle between man and God.The Kindle Edition is well formatted, and easy to read.Either way, it's a fun read!

This quirky, surrealistic book, an example of magic realism "avant la lettre" provoked hostile reactions from the authorities. It deals with subjects considered taboo under the Soviet regime. While there are flaws and imperfections - Bulgakov himself seems to have almost as much difficulty in following the improbable twists and turns as his readers - it's a masterpiece of imagination. Was Terry Pratchett influenced by this writer?

I'm in kyiv and Odessa Ukraine and other city's and towns too ,I stay in hostels and meet locals and traveled people ,. This book is recommended to me by a local nice young man in baboska hostel Odessa.

This is a book that has it all: unbridled imagination, devastating black humor, breathtaking suspense, romantic poetry and even unyielding social commentary. It's a classic attack on the Soviet system, but it goes beyond and takes a hard, uncompromising look at the human condition. It has survived the collapse of the Soviet Union and will certainly go on to enter the Russian pantheon of classics, along with Tolstoy, Gogol and Dostoievsky. A must read!

Probably one of the best books I've read in a while. I never heard of this until recently but the writing and descriptions bring to life everything and the translation is fantastic.

A decent translation of this classic, not as good as the Dutch translation (Fondse & Prins)