in Bulgakov's allegorical masterpiece of Stalin's regime the devil is making a personal appearance in Moscow.
He is accompanied by various demons, including a naked girl and a huge black cat. When he leaves, the asylums are full and the forces of law and order are in disarray. Only the Master, a writer and a man devoted to truth, and Margarita, the woman he loves, can resist the devil's onslaught.
'Stunning, superb...Bulgakov is one of the greatest Russian writers, perhaps the greatest' Independent
'A masterpiece – a classic of twentieth-century fiction' New York Times
TRANSLATED BY MICHAEL GLENNY, INTRODUCED BY WILL SELF