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A surrealistic satire with the Devil cheekily raising hell around 1930s Moscow with a talking cat while *also* telling a story of Jesus and Pontius Pilate in ancient Jerusalem. Considered a classic for a reason.
Feb 21, 2024
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It’s a surrealist satire about the devil visiting Moscow in the 1930s, with a parallel plot set in Jerusalem during the time of Christ. It’s a book I frequently recommend, especially to people who don’t regularly enjoy reading because it’s so captivating and sparkling. It offers a vacation from whatever place or situation you find yourself in for a little while. I missed it whenever I was away from it the entire time I was reading it. The picador edition includes a lot of detail and background info which is a version I would suggest for people not very familiar with Russia and its history and culture.
May 18, 2025
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I will die on the hill that this is one of the best books of all time (though no one is making me, and there is no hill)!! On the surface this is a dark comedy about Satan and a band of vampires, a demon cat, and other ghouls coming to wreak havoc on Moscow
A closer read will reveal elements of political satire and philosophical exploration pointed what it means to live and create art under Stalin’s authoritarian regime (the historical context in which the book was written). There’s also a love story in there, for good measure.
Feb 13, 2024
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sooo good. really funny but i recommend an edition with footnotes as a lot of the plot and humor is driven by satire of mid-20th century soviet life. i recommend pevear and volokhonsky's translation
Feb 25, 2025
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