I've read a great deal of Russian literature old and modern, but I didn't much like this book. It was like an unplanned Salmon Rushdie novel, where the metaphors don't seem to add up to anything - very likely there was a lot of cultural reference in the symbology that went over my head - but still, just didn't get much pleasure from reading it.
Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
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Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#92Novel for Stalin. Noticed that this book is loved by the all security/intelligence services like KGB-FSB -> don’t like it more https://ru-bykov.livejournal.com/2015279.html
This book is not for Stalin and not against Stalin.
This book is about bad people, good people and faith in fairness. And this is just a good fiction.
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#93For a context: Russian, read several Bulgakov's works as a teenager, as it was part of a school program. To provide an alternative view: I did not like "Master and Margarita", especially compared to "Heart of the Dog" and what I consider Bulgakov's best novel "The White Guard". Part of this has to do that with the fact that author chose religion and mysticism as literary vehicles and I am not a big fan of either. The…
Likewise loved The White Guard - and unlike a sibling reply I agree with you that it reflects helplessness - I certainly didn’t see any of the protagonists “controlling their destiny” - I saw them being washed up on and dashed against the shores of time like so much flotsam and jetsam, making ultimately meaningless decisions against a backdrop of inevitability. Another Bulgakov book I loved was “A Country Doctor’s No…
Brothers Strugatsky were influenced by Bulgakov a lot as well. "Limping fate" novel actually copies the layout of Master and Margarita. And Bulgakov himself makes an appearance (without being named).
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#94Life Got You Down? Time to read Ilf and Petrov (The Twelve Chairs, The Little Golden Calf, One-storied America)
It is very often overlooked, but "The Little Golden Calf" is awesome. It is an amazingly fun read yet it is full of deep insights into pre-war Soviet Union's everyday life. The character is basically a superhero who goes through this society as a hot knife through butter. Yet it is much more serious than "Twelve Chairs" which is basically a sitcom.
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt anyone will be made to leave. Suffer through paperwork sure.
Seeing what happened to the "Windrush generation", I wouldn't be so sure. This is a government with anti-immigration targets.
You make it sound like everyone who immigrated from the Windies from the 50s to the 70s has been specifically and vindictively booted out when ... well, nothing like that has happened at all.
Sure, there have been quite a few unfortunate and well-publicised outlier cases of people situationally caught between bureaucratic cracks, but as someone who lives in London, I assure you that thousands of long-since immigrated grandparents aren't getting booted out to satisfy some arbitrary ‘anti-immigration’ whim.
It's a mess for sure, but I'm not sure it's as you appear to be trying to paint.
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#96I always wonder why non-Russian speakers perceive books like "The Master and Margarita" as "fun". I guess the reason is that the spirit of the novel gets lost in translation. In Russian all humorous elements sum up as a dark depressing feeling towards the end of the novel. That what makes it a Russian classic.
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#97Life Got You Down? Time to read Ilf and Petrov (The Twelve Chairs, The Little Golden Calf, One-storied America)
Hell yes!
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#98Great book! When I borrowed it the librarian said she envied me the experience of reading it for the first time
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#99For people who have read it, what translation do you recommend?
Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky, a husband and wife team who have been translating Russian novels for close to 30 years. Having read most of Dostoevsky's works, some their translations, some others, I highly recommend their translations when available.
Re: Life Got You Down? Time to Read The Master and Margarita
#100Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's nothing actionable, except for longer term investments like where to live and how to plan your spending vs saving. Brexit is horribly fascinating in this respect, as the outcome controls whether I'll need do leave. Definitely true for tribal politics though.
In my view, these kind of actionable news you can get from reading the news once a month or (my favourite) from The Economist every weekend.
Actually, this would be an amazing news service. "Actionable news", where the high-frequency scare-stories weren't reported on.