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
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11.05.25 - Birthday gift
On May 15, 2025, we commemorate the birthday of Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov. To celebrate this, we offer you special conditions in our webshop during this whole week.
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25.01.25 - Stalinism and Putinism
Today we added a page to this website about the striking similarities between the current regime of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (°1952) and the regime of Ioseb dze Besarionis Dzhugashvili (1878-1953), better known as Joseph Stalin, in the time of Mikhail Bulgakov.
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13.12.24 - The Devil and Margarita
Today we added a page to this website about the rock musical The Devil and Margarita, written by Alexandra Berlina (libretto) and Dmitry Chuvelev (music).
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07.12.24 - Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show
Singer, songwriter and actor Michael Pemberton from New York announced that the rock musical Professor Woland’s Black Magic Rock Show would premiere in March 2025 at the Spooky Action Theater in Washington. To finance this, he will use crowd funding.
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01.05.24 - Was the screenplay stolen?
Was the screenplay of director Michael Lockshin's new film The Master and Margarita stolen? Translator Elena Youschenko tells how the producer asked her in 2019 to send him her screenplay «to evaluate it».
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04.02.24 - New film
Last week, director Michael Lockshin's new film The Master and Margarita was released in the Russian cinema theatres. Your webmaster watched it twice and wrote a review.
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05.11.23 - Historical pavement
The team of the museum-theater the Bulgakov House in Moscow has decided to reconstruct the courtyard of the house. We support this lovely initiative. Will you join us?
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06.08.23 - Another guide to the novel
Publisher Glagoslav Publications offers the English translation of the Guide to the novel The Master and Margarita by Georgy Lesskis and Ksenia Atarova for presale, but does not promise a release date.
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06.08.23 - Banga
The Master and Margarita website started 17 years ago and we continue to find new information. Today we added a page on Banga, the faithful dog of Pontius Pilate.
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11.07.23 - How about the new film?
As usual, the producers of Michael Lockshin's film The Master and Margarita make a mess of it. The film has already changed titles (once), directors (twice), and distributors (three times). And now another release date is announced for the fifth time. Read the hilarious story on this website.
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01.05.23 - «Woland» changed to «The Master and Margarita»
Yesterday, the production house Mars Media launched a new trailer for director Michael Lockshin's film Woland. And immediately they announced that the title was changed. Woland will now just become The Master and Margarita.
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04.04.23 - Translation by Marc Hendrickx
Today I accidentally came across an - expired - advertisement from the second-hand bookshop de Slegte offering a copy of The Master and Margarita «translated from the Russian by Marc Hendrickx».
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31.03.23 - The master's basement
Today, the Moscow Mayor's website announced that the restoration of the master's basement in Mansurovsky Lane no. 9 in Moscow has started.
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15.03.23 - Bulgakov on the Arbat
Today, the Museum M.A. Bulgakov, one of the two Bulgakov museums in Bolshaya Sadovaya Street no. 10 in Moscow, opened a Bulgakov Scientific and Educational Centre in the Bolshoy Afanasevsky Lane.
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12.01.23 - The fate of the film Woland becomes uncertain
For a long time it looked as if a film director would finally succeed in bringing a film adaptation of The Master and Margarita to a successful end. But the fate of Michael Lockshin's highly anticipated film Woland has become very uncertain. And that may well have to do with the director's attitude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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03.12.2022 - Illustrations by Olga Grablevskaya
Today we added a page to this site with the illustrations for The Master and Margarita made by Olga Grablevskaya in 2022.
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03.10.2022 - Theatre plays
In October 2022, The Moscow Independant Theatre will play the renowned Valery Belyakovich version of The Master and Margarita in France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
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22.08.2022 - Back to the USSR
Chapter 27 of The Master and Margarita becomes topical again. On August 27, beryozkas or currency stores will reopen in Russia.
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Latest news
Bulgakov's Biography in English
Marietta Chudakova's biography of Mikhail Bulgakov, generally considered the ultimate biography, translated into English by your webmaster, is now available in our webshop.
Films and TV-series
Here you can find DVD's with all the films and TV-series based on Bulgakov's works subtitled by your webmaster in English, French and Dutch, and some also in German, Italian and Spanish.
Social networks
This website is present on various social net-works. Join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news, or watch the trailers of our subtitled films on YouTube.
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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.
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