Welcome
It was a hot summer night in July 2003 and I was admiring the Eiffel Tower from the open window of a nice penthouse at the Avenue Émile Zola in Paris. I was talking to Tatiana Poppel, a Russian friend who lived there. We were discussing literature and I told her about my favourite novel, Cien años de soledad, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And then it was her turn. She told me a strange, but funny story about the Devil visiting Moscow. I was listening and I was amused, but without really trying to remember the name of the novel nor its author. But the story never left me. It was saved in my brains forever.
One year later the images came back, and how! Another Russian friend of mine, Irina Ternovaya, advised me to read The Master and Margarita, written by Mikhail Bulgakov. And so I did. With quite some dramatic consequences. I lost my heart in Moscow, it will stay there forever and I started learning Russian because, one day, I want to be able to read it in the original language...
You can use the menu at the top to learn more about Mikhail Bulgakov, the story and its themes, the political and social context, the characters and the locations, and discover how this novel inspired many others to create music, movie pictures or theatre plays. Have a regular look at the newspage too, because Bulgakov is still alive…
Welcome to the wonderful world of The Master and Margarita...
News
The fastest way to read our latest news is to visit our Facebook page 
30.01.2012 - Italian subtitles
Your webmaster has now subtitled the TV series Master i Margarita by the Russian director Vladimir Bortko in Italian. Italian is the sixth language in which this TV series from 2005 has been translated.
19.01.2012 - Margarita's house for sale
The house on Maly Vlasevsky pereulok number 12 in Moscow is for sale. Many people consider it as the prototype for the house where Margarita lived with her husband in The Master and Margarita.
14.01.2012 - The literary scenery in the Soviet Union
To start the year 2012 in style, we added today to the website a completely new chapter on the literary scenery in the Soviet Union.
31.12.2011 - The musical scenery in the Soviet Union
To end the year 2011 in style, we added today to the website a completely new chapter on the musical scenery in the Soviet Union. And, of course, we wish you all the best for 2012.
17.12.2011 - Diana Tevekelyan died
Yesterday, December 16, 2011, Diana Tevekelyan died. She was the editor who realised the first publication of The Master and Margarita in the literary journal Moskva in 1966. She was 79 years old.
07.12.2011 - Jazz Ballet Valery Teryoshkin
Sergey Shilovsky, the grandson of Elena Sergeevna from a previous marriage, strikes again with an attempt to ban a ballet inspired by The Master and Margarita in Krasnoyarsk.
01.12.2011 - Jamie Whyte's Moscow
Artist Jamie Whyte from Devon (UK) has carefully read the chapter Places from the novel on this website, and used it to create a unique Moscow map which is available in the webshop of this site.
26.11.2011 - Katyusha
Today we added to the website some new pages about the well known song Катюша (Katyusha). Many people - including Russians - think this song is from the old Russian folklore, but nothing is farther from the truth.
24.11.2011 - Burn Me Dead
Today we added to the website a new page with music from the musical Burn Me Dead, composed by Marc Teitler and Tim Philips, and based on The Master and Margarita.
21.11.2011 - No more Motigo
Soon you will see no longer the annoying advertising pop-ups and pop-unders when you visit this website. Apparently they were caused by our webstats counter Motigo.
19.11.2011 - Music by Elena Gurfinkel
Today we added to the website some pages about the song Moy Master, written by the Russian bard Elena Gurfinkel.
Films and TV-series
In addition to everything you want to know about the novel, you can find on this website some film adaptations of The Master and Margarita, subtitled in English by your webmaster.
Latest news
Artist Jamie Whyte made a nice Moscow map poster on the theme of The Master and Margarita.
Social networks
This website is present on various social net-works. Join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and get the latest news, or watch our subtitled video's on Vimeo and YouTube.
Recommend on Google:
Your guide through the novel
In this section are explained, per chapter, all typical notions, names of people and places, quotations and expressions from the novel with a description of the political, social, economical and cultural context.
In the media
Artists keep using the theme of The Master and Margarita in their movies, music, theatre pieces and drawings.
Bulgakov's Moscow
Have a look at the most impor-tant places from the novel at a single glance using this click-able map of Moscow.
Virtual tour of Yershalaim
Have a look at all the places of Yershalaim seen from the air, from the Antonia Tower to the palace of Herod.
Support this website
This website is made and maintained by an amateur and can therefore use your support. When you make a donation, I will send you a cute surprise gift.
Buy online
The Master and Margarita
The DVD of Vladimir Bortko's TV se-ries with English subtitles
The Master and Margarita
The impressive soundtrack of com-poser Igor Kornelyuk
The Master and Margarita
The DVD of Yuri Kara's film with English subtitles
The novel translated in English by Hugh Aplin (on Amazon)
Andrzej Klimowski's comic strip (on Amazon)