Knowra The Master and Margarita The Master and Margarita A satirical novel by Mikhail Bulgakov in which the Devil visits Soviet Moscow, interwoven with a story about Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Its shifting narratives probe censorship, faith, artistic freedom, and moral responsibility.
Woland : The enigmatic Devil who arrives in Moscow with a retinue of supernatural companions. His visit drives the novel’s Moscow plot and exposes the city’s hypocrisy.
Mikhail Bulgakov : A Russian and Soviet writer and playwright, best known for The Master and Margarita. He shaped the novel through years of revision under Soviet censorship.
Soviet literature : Literature written in the Soviet Union and shaped by its political and cultural institutions. The novel’s Moscow narrative satirizes the institutions governing Soviet literary life.
Soviet Socialist Realism : The officially prescribed Soviet artistic method, centered on socialist ideals and optimistic realism. Bulgakov’s supernatural satire rejects the conventions imposed on Soviet writers.
The Master : A reclusive writer who has composed a novel about Pontius Pilate. His persecution and manuscript connect artistic freedom to the novel’s central plot.
Soviet censorship : State control over publishing, performance, and public expression in the Soviet Union. The novel’s attacks on literary bureaucracy arose under the system that obstructed its publication.
Faust : A European literary legend about a scholar who makes a pact with the Devil. Bulgakov reworks Faustian motifs through Woland, Margarita, and the Moscow setting.
The Gospel of John : A canonical Christian Gospel emphasizing Jesus’s identity, signs, and relation to God. Its presentation of Jesus differs from Bulgakov’s humanized Yeshua.
Margarita : The Master’s beloved, who becomes a witch to help rescue him. Her choices turn love into an active force against fear and repression.
Moscow : The capital of Russia, located on the Moskva River. Bulgakov transforms the city he knew into the stage for Woland’s visit.
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