Cover of The Master and Margarita

The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov, 1966

Russian novelist, 1891–1940.

The Master and Margarita is a 1966 novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from Russian.

In fantasy

On 3 of the 11 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Mikhail Bulgakov
First published
Serialised 1966–67 (written 1928–40)
Length
448 pages (UK paperback)
Original language
Translated from Russian
Genre
Fantasy, Satire, Religion and faith, Political

Is The Master and Margarita worth reading?

3 of the 11 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian) and 100 books of the century (Le Monde).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 books of the century (Le Monde, 1999)No. 94See the list
Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026)No. 31See the list
The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026)No. 66See the list

Best edition of The Master and Margarita

The edition we link to is the Vintage Classics paperback (2010), 448 pages, translated by Michael Glenny.

Publisher
Vintage Classics (paperback, 2010)
Pages
448
Translator
Michael Glenny
ISBN
9780099540946

How critics and readers rate The Master and Margarita

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 32% of the points available on critics' lists, against 18% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
32%
Prizes
Not eligible for any of these lists yet
Readers and booksellers
18%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Lists used on this page