Literary Exploration discussion

Final thoughts of the book

If it was me, I'd have loved to have read a copy that Bulgakov could have finished and edited entirely - unfortunately, many questions remain eluded.

Unless he had done that on the purpose, that is.

I'd also love to know, if someone could rewrite this as a fantasy, and yet keep all the relevant themes - hmm, as more of an eclectic reader who finds magical realism tough to understand, I'd love to know if it was just my impression...

Oh, and all the references to "Faust" were brilliant.

P.S. As I have read the Lithuanian translation that was done in the 1985 or so, I'd "love" to know what the differences between the censored and uncensored versions were - thank you :)

I meant that the last few chapters clearly show that they were not edited and integrated into the rest of the text.

Oh my! By fantasy I meant more in the sense of "Urban / Contemporary / Historical" fantasy - have you read Lukyanenko, or Gaiman, for example? I mean... the fact that the work kinda lacks "internal" logic of a fantasy work, which is supposed to be "internally consistent", nowadays - for some weird reason, which might be because I have read Carroll's "Alice" recently for a course, I was constantly reminded of those stories in how seemingly "absurd" the structure of the magical elements was when compared to the realistic ones, and yet hardly few seem to notice that - Begemot, too, reminded me a lot of the Cheshire Cat.

Terry Pratchett is a fantasy writer who does wonders with absurd in his comic fantasy works.

Better believe me when I'm saying that the satire had not escaped me, though my lack of background in Russian culture did inhibit my comprehension :)

Xiri wrote: Better believe me when I'm saying that the satire had not escaped me, though my lack of background in Russian culture did inhibit my comprehension :) "

If anyone hadn't noticed that this was a satire, they'd be missing the whole point. I'm sure its even more absurd to those well versed in Russian culture, but I loved it anyway.

Certainly! He laid it so thick, it was almost impossible to not notice...

By the way, to some Russians apparently Lukyanenko's Night Watch is alike in "fantastic realism", though it is as much of an Urban fantasy as it can get.

Xiri wrote: "Certainly! He laid it so thick, it was almost impossible to not notice...

By the way, to some Russians apparently Lukyanenko's Night Watch is alike in "fantastic realism", though it is as much of ..."

I remember seeing parts of Night Watch when my wife was watching it, and I certainly can't see the realism part at all. However, I'm guessing the word realism might have different connotations to Russians. Either way, interesting.

Might be. I guess it's because we do not exactly have a tradition of fantasy genre as such - literary fairy tales, allegories - that's what some literary pieces are called here, in Lithuania at least.

One local example would be this story:Baltaragio malūnas

I can see realism in how realistic the grim world of Moscow was - I have only read the novels, mind you. All the other parts pretty much tied up with the dream like surrealism almost, drawn from the lore.

In a sense, he reminded me a lot of Gaiman's "American Gods", which I confess to have devoured, though in translation.

I read the Ginsberg version, not I'm interested in reading one that isn't censored.... I found it at a local second hand bookstore in Victoria BC. Overall I enjoyed the book, Russian lit I could actually get into. But at times the magical realism took me away from the story as it was hard to follow.. That could be based on the translation I was reading though.

The satirical nature of this book really struck a cord with me, as I have taken courses on the Soviet Union and it is interesting to read a humourous persepctive and social commentary on the restrictions of the time.

I think if anything this book requires a second reading. I found the religious aspects of this book a little too much and would have enjoyed the Faust refernces more if they hadn't comsumed so much of the end of the novel.