Book 0271

This is one of my all time favourite books. It is quite unlike any other book that I have read – not just in it’s subject matter but its structure. It’s a novel with two stories that at first seem separate, but the links between both become more obvious to the reader. This is an entertaining, moving and well written satire of Moscow in the early 20th century – not that it is necessary to know anything about the history of the time. Overall the book defies classification – it contains social satire, religious fable, historical narrative and romantic comedy. Bulgakov creates a story which has tragedy, farce and satire – and his observation of human nature are equally valid today.