The Devil has come to town. But don’t worry – all he wants to do is stage a magic show.
Vrag je stigao u grad. No ne brinite – samo želi prirediti mađioničarsku predstavu.
This absurd premise forms the central plot of Mikhail Bulgakov’s masterpiece, "The Master and Margarita." Written in Moscow during the 1930s, this surreal blend of political satire, historical fiction, and occult mysticism has earned a legacy as one of the 20th century’s greatest novels– and one of its strangest.
Ta je apsurdna premisa središte zapleta remek-djela Mihaila Bulgakova „Majstor i Margarita”. Napisana u Moskvi 1930-ih, ta nadrealna mješavina političke satire, povijesne fikcije i okultnog misticizma smatra se jednim od najznačajnijih romana 20. stoljeća, kao i jednim od najčudnovatijih. Priča počinje kad sastanak dva člana moskovske literarne kreme
The story begins when a meeting between two members of Moscow’s literary elite is interrupted by a strange gentleman named Woland, who presents himself as a foreign scholar invited to give a presentation on black magic. As the stranger engages the two companions in a philosophical debate and makes ominous predictions about their fates, the reader is suddenly transported to 1st century Jerusalem. There a tormented Pontius Pilate reluctantly sentences Jesus of Nazareth to death. With the narrative shifting between the two settings, Woland and his entourage– Azazello, Koroviev, Hella, and a giant cat named Behemoth– are seen to have uncanny magical powers, which they use to stage their performance while leaving a trail of havoc and confusion in their wake.
prekine neobičan gospodin po imenu Woland, koji se predstavi kao strani učenjak pozvan da održi prezentaciju o crnoj magiji. Stranac uvlači dvojicu drugova u filozofsku raspravu i nagoviješta im zlu kob, a čitatelj se odjednom nađe u Jeruzalemu 1. stoljeća. Ondje napaćeni Poncije Pilat nevoljko osuđuje na smrt Isusa iz Nazareta. Radnja se naizmjenično odvija na dvjema lokacijama, a Woland i njegova svita – Azazello, Korovjov, Hella i divovski mačak imenom Behemot – pokazuju izvanredne magične moći, koje koriste kako bi postavili predstavu, ostavljajući za sobom rasulo i zbrku.
Much of the novel’s dark humor comes not only from this demonic mischief, but also the backdrop against which it occurs. Bulgakov’s story takes place in the same setting where it was written– the USSR at the height of the Stalinist period. There, artists and authors worked under strict censorship, subject to imprisonment, exile, or execution if they were seen as undermining state ideology. Even when approved, their work– along with housing, travel, and everything else– was governed by a convoluted bureaucracy. In the novel, Woland manipulates this system along with the fabric of reality, to hilarious results. As heads are separated from bodies and money rains from the sky, the citizens of Moscow react with petty-self interest, illustrating how Soviet society bred greed and cynicism despite its ideals. And the matter-of-fact narration deliberately blends the strangeness of the supernatural events with the everyday absurdity of Soviet life.
Taj demonski nestašluk izvor je velikog dijela crnog humora u romanu, baš kao i njegov kontekst. Bulgakovljeva priča odvija se ondje gdje je i nastala – u SSSR-u na vrhuncu staljinizma. Djela umjetnika i pisaca strogo se cenzuriraju, a prijete im zatvor, egzil ili smrt padne li na njih sumnja da potkopavaju državnu ideologiju. Čak i kad im odobre djela, njima – kao i stanovanjem, putovanjima i svim ostalim – upravlja zamršena birokracija. U romanu Woland manipulira tim sustavom kao i samom stvarnošću, uz urnebesne posljedice. Na obezglavljena tijela i novac što pljušti s neba građani Moskve reagiraju slijedeći svoje sitne interese, što pokazuje kako je sovjetsko društvo razmnožilo pohlepu i cinizam unatoč svojim idealima. Realistična naracija namjerno miješa čudnovatost nadnaravnih događaja s apsurdnošću sovjetske svakodnevice.
So how did Bulgakov manage to publish such a subversive novel under an oppressive regime? Well… he didn’t. He worked on "The Master and Margarita" for over ten years. But while Stalin’s personal favor may have kept Bulgakov safe from severe persecution, many of his plays and writings were kept from production, leaving him safe but effectively silenced. Upon the author’s death in 1940, the manuscript remained unpublished. A censored version was eventually printed in the 1960s, while copies of the unabridged manuscript continued to circulate among underground literary circles. The full text was only published in 1973, over 30 years after its completion.
Kako je Bulgakov uspio objaviti tako subverzivan roman pod opresivnim režimom? Pa… nije. Radio je na „Majstoru i Margariti” više od deset godina. No premda je Staljinova naklonjenost spasila Bulgakova od teškog progona, mnoge njegove drame i druga djela nisu ugledali svjetlost dana, pa je, iako pošteđen, bio učinkovito ušutkan. Nakon autorove smrti 1940. rukopis ostaje neobjavljen. Cenzurirana verzija konačno je tiskana 1960-ih, dok su primjerci potpunog rukopisa nastavili kružiti tajnim književnim miljeima. Cjeloviti tekst objavljen je tek 1973., više od 30 godina nakon što je dovršen.
Bulgakov’s experiences with censorship and artistic frustration lend an autobiographical air to the second part of the novel, when we are finally introduced to its namesake. "The Master" is a nameless author who’s worked for years on a novel but burned the manuscript after it was rejected by publishers– just as Bulgakov had done with his own work. Yet the true protagonist is the Master’s mistress Margarita.
Bulgakovljevo iskustvo s cenzurom i umjetničkom frustracijom dalo je autobiografsku notu drugom dijelu romana, u kojemu napokon upoznajemo naslovnog junaka. „Majstor” je bezimeni autor koji je godinama radio na svojem romanu, ali je spalio rukopis nakon što su ga izdavači odbili – baš kao što je i Bulgakov napravio sa svojim djelima. Ipak, stvarna je protagonistica Majstorova ljubavnica Margarita.
Her devotion to her lover’s abandoned dream bears a strange connection to the diabolical company’s escapades– and carries the story to its surreal climax.
Njezina predanost ljubavnikovu napuštenom snu neobično je povezana s vratolomijama dijabolične družine – i dovodi priču do nadrealnog vrhunca.
Despite its dark humor and complex structure, "The Master and Margarita" is, at its heart, a meditation on art, love, and redemption, that never loses itself in cynicism. And the book’s long overdue publication and survival against the odds is a testament to what Woland tells the Master: “Manuscripts don’t burn.”
Unatoč crnom humoru i složenoj strukturi, „Majstor i Margarita” u biti je razmatranje o umjetnosti, ljubavi i iskupljenju koje nikad ne zapada u cinizam. Zakašnjela objava knjige i činjenica da je preživjela unatoč svemu potvrda su Wolandovih riječi upućenih Majstoru: „Rukopisi ne gore.”