Russian Book Club: Master and Margarita by Bulgakov

Our book club is for anyone who is interested in Russian literature but is daunted by the prospect of reading a complete work in the original! Feel free to join the session on the 3rd May or 11th May – whichever suits you.

Each month we select a classic or contemporary Russian literary work to read in translation. While our discussions are held in English, we incorporate excerpts and quotes in Russian into the sessions to provide an authentic experience. The club is hosted by an experienced teacher, who will tailor the language element to the levels of the participants. So whether you’re an elementary or advanced learner of Russian, our book club welcomes all levels of proficiency.

‘The Master and Margarita’ is a mystery novel, a book that transcends its time, that makes you come back to it again and again. Three threads of the novel are woven into a single whole: Soviet Moscow, ancient Jerusalem and eternal love. Philosophical depth is combined with a fascinating plot, an ironic view of things with faith in eternal values, without which it is impossible to imagine human life. The whole history of the human race with its constant vices and virtues appears on the pages of one of the main masterpieces of world literature of the XX century.

We recommend reading Michael Glenny’s translation The Master and Margarita: Mikhail Bulgakov (Everyman’s Library CLASSICS): Amazon.co.uk: Bulgakov, Mikhail, Franklin, Simon, Glenny, Michael: 9781857150667: Books or the one by R.Pevear and L.Volokhonsky The Master And Margarita: Mikhail Bulgakov : Bulgakov, Mikhail, Volokhonsky, Larissa, Pevear, Richard: Amazon.co.uk: Books