Central Clemson Book Discussion

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

General book discussion of fiction and nonfiction as selected by the members. Newcomers are welcome; please see staff to reserve a copy of this month's title.

This month we will be reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita. One spring afternoon, the Devil, trailing fire and chaos in his wake, weaves himself out of the shadows and into Moscow. Mikhail Bulgakov’s fantastical, funny, and devastating satire of Soviet life combines two distinct yet interwoven parts: one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem. Each part is brimming with historical, imaginary, frightful, and wonderful characters. Written during the darkest days of Stalin’s reign, and finally published in 1966 and 1967, The Master and Margarita became a literary phenomenon, signaling artistic and spiritual freedom for Russians everywhere.