I cannot call this book by its real title. At least twenty times in this month I've called it "The Master and The Margarita". Perhaps this is because I spent three years expecting it to be about a beverage. Perhaps I have an unhealthy fixation with parallel structure (regardless, we know I have one of those).
I'm closing in on finishing The Master and T... and Margarita, and it's a fascinating piece of work. It's rare that I find any novel with such disparate elements, but it has zany comedy, romance/redemption or high religious pathos. At different points it's reminded me of those cheesy 80's satires that shed their criticism for personal stories of discovery *and* the most profound Historical Fiction. It maintains both its Soviet-era anti-secularism and its Christ-era critical thought, though they come closer to converging, and the ending gets surreal in provocative ways.
Most provocative to me is how the novel challenges what is absurd and what is surreal (damn it, more parallel structure). Both words describe parts of the book, but neither is wholly applicable. Because the scene with the giant talking cat trying to steal candy bars is absurd - it's goofy, impossible, something that doesn't pretend to fit into how the author thinks the world works. But the scene with The Master, an author who went mad trying write a book about Pontius Pilate, having a vision of Pilate struggling to find rest after the execution of Christ, is surreal. The latter scene feels so intense, not fitting with our world and yet unaware of it. Here the absurd and the surreal split: the absurd being what can never be and doesn't care, and the surreal being what can't be and feels like it thinks it could be. Bulgakov's surrealism is disturbing for how convinced it feels it could barge in and upturn us if it wanted to, and brings me back to Borges and the better Kafka.
Which is to say: it's really quite something. I'm too happy to have kept this copy around all these years, and a little guilty for not getting to it sooner, just like Middlemarch last year. Like Middlemarch, there's nothing else quite like this. Other than being unique, there's nothing in common with Middlemarch. Woland would set all that town's nuances on fire.
When I've asked around if any other Russian novelists screw around to the degree Bulgakov did, I've only gotten the answer of Nikolai Gogol. Any recommendations from that canon are welcome. It keeps rewarding me for diving.
A full review of the book should be up on Goodreads (and maybe here) soon. How is your #NaNoReMo coming?
Counter est. March 2, 2008
Not heard of that one. I'd be expecting a drink as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's well worth learning about. Fiction to think about on every level it operates on.
DeleteThe Master sounds intriguing, and I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience with it. I have finished Midnight's Children and will put up a post about it next week (Wednesday I think).
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to the post! Has Rushdie stopped giving you headaches yet?
DeleteThis book is not for me, but there is a lot to admire in his work. Perhaps, in the fullness of time, I will try another. But not yet.
DeleteWell it sounds interesting if now quite my cup of tea. I'm still plodding on with my book choice, I think for me what slows it down is that the story is told by the narrator more than the characters, you know a lot of tell and no show.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound like a bummer. A bit like my bout with Austen, but I hope you're getting something out of it!
DeleteYes, it's very interesting to see what was acceptable behaviour in that time frame. I think this is just a style of writing that the author has that is a bit slow for me. Mind you I've not read anything else of his, he could surprise me. ^_^
DeleteOh, nice, John, good to see you're enjoying the parallels of absurdity and surrealism, that Bulgakov sets. I'm a big fan of the book and how darkly humorous it gets, especially towards the end. But the setting of the world - it's bonkers! I usually don't/ haven't read much Russian authors, but this particular author and story are a major exception. I've read it in both English and Bulgaria, which is fun because of the name translation, and would perhaps read it once more sometime in the future. Maybe in Russian too!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your conclusive post!