The Devil has come to town. But don’t worry – all he wants to do is stage a magic show.
Đavo je stigao u grad. Međutim, bez brige - samo želi da izvede 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.
Ova apsurdna postavka određuje središnji zaplet remek-dela Mihaila Bulgakova, romana „Majstor i Margarita”. Napisan u Moskvi tokom 1930-ih, ovaj nadrealistički spoj političke satire, istorijske fikcije i okultnog misticizma je zaslužio status jednog od najvećih romana XX veka - kao i jednog od najneobičnijih. Priča počinje kada susret dva člana moskovske književne elite
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 neobični gospodin po imenu Voland, koji se predstavlja kao strani učenjak koji je pozvan da održi prezentaciju o crnoj magiji. Dok stranac uvlači dva kompanjona u filozofsku debatu i pravi zlokobna predviđanja u vezi s njihovom sudbinom, čitalac se iznenada prebacuje u Jerusalim u I veku. Tu, izmučeni Pontije Pilat nevoljno osuđuje Isusa Nazarećanina na smrt. Dok pripovedanje poskakuje između dva prostora, Voland i njegova pratnja: Azazelo, Korovjev, Hela i ogromna mačka po imenu Behemot - ispoljavaju naočigled jezive čarobne moći, koje koriste kako bi odigrali svoj nastup, ostavljajući za sobom trag rasula i konfuzije.
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.
Značajan deo crnog humora u romanu potiče ne samo od demonskih nestašluka, već i pozadine u kojoj se dešava. Bulgakovljeva priča se odvija na istom mestu i okolnostima u kojim je nastala - u SSSR-u na vrhuncu staljinističkog perioda. Tu su umetnici i pisci radili pod strogom cenzurom, podvrgavani su utamničenju, egzilu ili pogubljenju, ukoliko bi ih videli kao pretnju državnoj ideologiji. Čak i kad bi im delo bilo odobreno - smeštaj, putovanje i sve ostalo je bilo pod upravom komplikovane birokratije. U romanu, Voland manipuliše sistemom, kao i samim tkivom stvarnosti, a to daje urnebesne rezultate. Dok glave bivaju odvojene od tela, a novac pada s neba, građani Moskve reaguju ispoljavajući sitne lične interese, pokazujući time kako je sovjetsko društvo gajilo pohlepu i cinizam uprkos idealima. A realistično pripovedanje namerno stapa čudnovatost natprirodnih događaja sa svakidašnjim apsurdom sovjetskog života.
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.
Pa, kako je Bulgakov uspeo da objavi tako subverzivan roman pod despotskim režimom? Pa... nije. Preko deset godina je radio na „Majstoru i Margariti”. Međutim, iako je Staljin lično garantovao Bulgakovu bezbednost od ozbiljnog progona, mnoge njegove drame i dela su držani podalje od scene, tako da je ostao bezbedan, ali uspešno ućutkan. Nakon piščeve smrti 1940. godine, rukopis je ostao neobjavljen. Cenzurisana verzija je konačno štampana tokom 1960-ih, dok su neskraćeni primerci rukopisa nastavili da kruže među podzemnim književnim krugovima. Kompletan tekst je tek objavljen 1973. godine, više od 30 godina nakon što je završen.
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 sa cenzurom i umetnčke frustracije udahnule su notu biografskog drugom delu romana kada se konačno upoznajemo sa naslovnim likom. Majstor je bezimeni pisac koji je godinama radio na romanu, ali je spalio rukopis nakon što su izdavači odbili da ga objave - baš kao što je Bulgakov uradio sa sopstvenim delom. Ipak, istinski protagonista je 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.
Njena predanost napuštenim snovima svog ljubavnika čudnovato podseća na dijabolične ludorije družine - i vodi priču do nadrealističkog 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.”
Uprkos crnom humoru i složenoj strukturi, „Majstor i Margarita” je u svojoj srži meditacija o umetnosti, ljubavi i iskupljenju koji se nikad ne predaju cinizmu. A objavljivanje knjige sa velikim zakašnjenjem i njen opstanak uprkos svemu je svedočanstvo rečima koje Voland upućuje Majstoru: