The Master and Margarita

I don't know what to say considering the profound impact it had on many a reader, but I just thought it ok - which is even more damning than being vehemently opposed to it. The story should be enough, revolving around Satan, a talking cat, naked witches, Pilate in the time of Christ and Satan's ball. People lose their heads, run naked in the streets and are disappeared. But it found it flat despite all that.

A fantastic conversation over on Twitter revealed alternatives to the uninspired translations of my Penguin edition done by Pevear and Volokhonsky including those by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor and another by Hugh Alpin. It's worth a re-read to find out if I might enjoy it more.

** Just a note that I had the chance to reread the 1995 Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor translation. This was definitely a more enjoyable read that warrants a solid four stars. Perhaps being familiar with the story reading it a second time made it run more smoothly but I find that the Burgin/O'Connor translation scans better. The Peavar translation on the other hand often tripped me up, making me conscious of the lines and frustrating the flow of information.