Reviews of the book "Master and Margarita" (Mikhail Bulgakov)

"Master and Margarita" is a masterpiece that leaves no one indifferent. Someone falls in love with the book during the first reading; Someone needs years to understand this novel; And in others the indignation "Master and Margarita" arouses. Reviews about the book readers are very different. However, all of them are unanimous in that Bulgakov's novel is an imperishable masterpiece.

A little about Master Mikhail Bulgakov

The legendary creator of "The Master and Margarita" is known, no doubt, as a genius, which did not prevent him from being a man with his shortcomings. Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov happened to live in an amazing era. On the one hand - a civil war, a change in the worldview of the whole country, repression, devastation and poverty. And on the other - rapid development of literature, the triumph of new forms, bold experiments and unexpected interpretations of age-old themes.

Being a descendant of a family of successful doctors, Mikhail Afanasyevich has been accustomed to live from childhood without limiting himself. For this reason he became a doctor - he dreamed of earning well. However, the revolution of 1917 prevented his ambitious plans. He was not able to find a decent work for a long time. Desperate, Bulgakov became a morphist. He with great difficulty got rid of this predilection. To overcome the temptation to make a morphine injection, Mikhail Afanasyevich began to write what he had long dreamed of.

The talent of the young doctor was soon noticed. And Bulgakov moved to Moscow to beat closer to the center of the literary life of the country. However, in order to become famous, at that time there was something more important than genius works - it was necessary to have connections. And to get them, it was important to constantly communicate with editors and publishers. That's just it was worth a lot of money. And to ensure his rotation in the right circles, the writer spent on it all the means of the family, often laying the decorations of the wife. In addition, he hid from everyone the presence of his wife - Tatyana Lappa, cheated on her, and at the first opportunity divorced, leaving him to the mercy of fate without profession and money.

Soon the beginning writer married Luba Belozerskaya, who turned into his secretary and muse. Based on her memories of life in exile, she wrote the play "Running." She also invented the image of Margarita in the novel. It was this woman who contributed to the creation of "Days of Turbins", "White Guard" and "The Dog's Heart".

But having met the wife of the famous military commander Elena Shilovskaya, Mikhail Bulgakov lost his head and after a long romance repulsed her from her husband. It was this woman who supported the writer in the last years of his life. And after his death he achieved that the last novel, which Bulgakov wrote - "The Master and Margarita", was published. Reviews of the book after its release were the most enthusiastic. Not the least role in this played the long-term ban of the work, which made the novel very popular.

The origins of the novel

Some literary scholars call this work Faustus of the Twentieth Century. And not in vain, because Bulgakov introduced many features of Goethe's masterpiece into it. The first reference is the epigraph of the novel "... So who are you, finally? I am a part of that power that eternally wants evil and eternally does good. " At the first appearance of Woland, he holds a cane with the head of a poodle, in the form of a knob (Mephistopheles made his way to the dwelling of Faust in the guise of a black dog). Also taken from the work of Goethe is the name of the main character - Margarita. The reference to "Faust" is also the story of Frida, who strangled her illegitimate child. So did Margarita, having born a child from Faust.

The episode with Berlioz's head at the ball at Woland - a hint at Belyaev's popular fiction novel "The Head of Professor Dowell." The conversation between Berlioz and Bezdomny with Satan with many theses and style is reminiscent of Ehrenburg's book The Extraordinary Adventures of Julio Jurenito (1922). A vivid description of the life and customs of ordinary citizens is close to Zoshchenko's feuilletons and the novel "The Golden Calf" by Ilf and Petrov (episodes with "Crow's Slobodka"). Among other things, the love line of the "Master and Margarita" has a direct link to Bulgakov's personal life. While writing the book, he secretly met with Elena Shilovskaya, who for a long time did not dare to leave her husband because of the children.

Basic storylines

"Master and Margarita" is called a novel in the novel, as the events of the present serve as a frame for a work about Pontius Pilate. The book clearly distinguishes several storylines. First of all, this is the love story of the Master and Margarita. In parallel, it goes through the story of Pontius Pilate and the wandering prophet Yeshua Ha-Nozri. An important role is played by the history of the evolution of Ivan Bezdomny, who, from the creator of low-level propaganda rhymes, turns into a serious scientist.

As you know, Bulgakov had very difficult relationships with other writers, publishers and editors. Because of nepotism, greed, lack of intelligence and the limited worldview of many of them, Mikhail Afanasyevich often had to humble himself to get his work published. Meanwhile, most of his works were not only brilliant, but also relevant for their time. But only the preferences were often given to careless career-seekers. For this reason, ridiculing MASSOLIT in the "Master and Margarita" is given a special place.

Framing and at the same time the main connecting link for all the plot lines are Woland and his henchmen. It is they who lead out of the numbness of the heroes and force them to act. The epigraph hints at their role in the novel, gradually bringing readers to the conclusion that in a society that has forgotten God, Satan and his demons have to take the role of good and justice.

Problems of "Master and Margarita"

In this novel raised a lot of "eternal" questions. First of all, it is the belief of a person in the highest powers. Thus, at the beginning of the novel Berlioz and his companion cheerfully boast that they do not believe in God and control their own destiny. Further events prove the falsity of their judgments. Also in the work, enough space is devoted to the relationship between talent and society. So, to create fully, in the author's opinion, a genius needs financial security, as well as freedom in choosing topics.

Modern society of Mikhail Afanasievich dictated to writers themes, and also subjected them to writing strict censorship. It should be noted that, according to many critics, Bulgakov in this issue contradicts himself. For most of his masterpieces, he wrote in a communal apartment, in breaks between the main work. Another problem of the novel is the ineradicability of betrayal in human nature. Thus, informers and envious persons are present both in Moscow and in ancient Yershalaim. They are differently dressed, they have different ideals and way of life, but psychology has not changed over the centuries.

Reviews about the book "Master and Margarita": the main characters through the eyes of readers

If critics are mostly enthusiastic, then readers perceive the heroes of the novel differently. The most controversial is the character of the Master. Some admire him as a genius who has risen above the life and pettiness of the modern world. Others call it genius, but selfish. So getting rich, he does not seek to help his neighbors, but spends everything on himself. His hero perceives Margarita as a muse, and not as a real person. He loves her, but does not worry about her fate. While staying in the hospital, the Master does not hurry to give the news about himself, while she is going crazy with uncertainty.

Some reviews of the book "The Master and Margarita" contrast the Master and the poet Bezdomny. So, the first is certainly a genius, but he treats his pen brother with arrogance: without reading a single line of their poems Homeless, the Master makes the poet in a state of insanity ashamed of his works. At the same time, readers have no chance to compare the works of the two writers and decide whether the Master is right.

Since the publication of the novel, Margarita has always received the best characteristics from readers. As a prototype of the protagonist, Elena Shilovskaya, Mikhail Bulgakov (Master and Margarita) took the protagonist. Reviews about the book of some literary critics indicate that this heroine also has features of the first two wives of the writer. The main character is a woman in love who, for the sake of the narrowed-down, became a witch and participated in the satanic Sabbath.

Readers rightly note the underdevelopment of this image. So, Shilovskaya did not leave her husband for a long time because of the children. However, Bulgakov made his heroine childless. Therefore it is not clear why with such great love, she stayed with her husband for a long time. Part of the audience is sure that Margarita is a prudent narcissist, because of boredom she has started a novel on the side. Individual researchers who write reviews about the book "Master and Margarita" believe that the main character is a kind of Faust Bulgakov. After all, she actually sold her soul for the sake of finding the meaning of life - the Master.

Reviews about the book "Master and Margarita": "The Gospel of Woland" and the image of the Savior

One of the most striking characters in the novel is Woland. By the way, the name is taken from the same "Faust". He came to Moscow to look at a society that risked living without God. At the same time, the devil himself and his demon-assistants turn out to be more noble and honest than most of the metropolitan residents. Many readers who wrote reviews about the book "The Master and Margarita" call this work "The Gospel of Satan." So, Woland tells his two writers-atheists his version of the history of Christ. In his exposition, Jesus, from a powerful but merciful God, turns into a wandering philosopher, who is not fully aware of his power.

Throughout the book, Mephistopheles Bulgakov often pronounces phrases that distort the behests of Christ. For example, remember Satan's saying: "Never ask anything! Never anything, and especially those who are stronger than you. They will propose themselves and they will give everything themselves! ". This famous phrase is the direct opposite of what Jesus said: "Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek, and find; Knock, and it will be opened to you ... ".

Love in a work

Most of those who read Bulgakov 's work are called his hymn of infinite love, leaving feedback on the book. "Master and Margarita" - a novel about feelings, bright, strong, passionate, but unusual. Each of the main characters is attached, but in different ways. The master loves art, Margarita in his heart is given the place of the muse, according to some critics.

At the same time for the woman herself, her lover is the meaning of existence. The master awakens in her a dormant maternal instinct. She likes to take care of him, to patronize and fight for him. For the poet Homeless, who got into the hospital, Margarita also becomes a muse. She dreams about him for many years.

The image of Soviet life in the novel

Problems with housing have always been relevant. However, at the time of writing the novel, they acquired simply frightening proportions. The fact is that after the revolution landless peasants, workers and people of intellectual professions poured into Moscow in search of work. However, the capital of the USSR was simply physically unable to accommodate everyone. Therefore, the living space was worth its weight in gold. And as soon as the law came into force, according to which the living space was confiscated from the convicted citizen, denunciations against neighbors for the sake of acquiring their rooms became quite common.

Bulgakov did not fail to mention this in his work. So the "friend" of the Master - Aloysius Magarych, to take possession of his housing, wrote a denunciation. Also Woland, having seen enough of the Muscovites in the theater, noted that the problems with the apartments had a strong impact on them. Among the other pitfalls of Soviet life described by Bulgakov were the rudeness of bureaucrats, widespread rudeness, bribery, shortages of food, normal clothing, and much more.

Interesting facts

A lot of interesting facts can be found about Bulgakov's novel:

• Woland and all his companions had some flaws in their appearance. It was a reference to the belief that all the angels were physically perfect, and the demons were mutilated, as a symbol of exile.
• The main character was partly written off by Bulgakov from himself, and in part he wore the features of NV Gogol. Because of the reference to the latter in the novel, the phrase about imperishability of manuscripts sounds.
• In the original version, the hero was called not the Master, but the Poet.
• Although Margarita most of all received the traits from the third wife of Bulgakov, each of his wives subsequently claimed that it was she who was portrayed in her novel by Mikhail Afanasyevich.
• A distant relative of the main character, which she was hinted at at the ball, is either Marguerite of Navarre (queen Margot) or Marguerite de Valois.

The last novel by Bulgakov left behind more questions than answers. However, today, thanks to the Internet, every reader can try to answer them on their own. At numerous forums devoted to the novel, everyone can leave their own opinion about the book "The Master and Margarita", writing an essay, a review or even poetry.