Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita is a magical feast of a novel that has held its readers under a spell ever since its (posthumous) publication. The novel switches between ancient Jerusalem during Passion Week and Soviet Moscow during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It has an extensive cast of human and supernatural characters - including Pontius Pilate, a talking cat, a vampire and the Devil, who arrives to Moscow incognito to observe its unsuspecting inhabitants and to test them in profound and unexpected ways. Bulgakov's novel draws on the Biblical story of Christ's crucifixion and death to pose complex ethical questions about courage, guilt and personal responsibility that resonate as much in ancient Jerusalem as they do in the Moscow of the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The Master and Margarita is among the most widely read novels written in the Russian language. A gripping read, this novel also tests its readers' moral compass and invites serious reflection. Should we, as readers, be appalled by the violence in Bulgakov's 'sunset' novel or delight in its mischievous fun? How do we reconcile the contradictory readings often produced by this novel? Why do some characters die twice in The Master and Margarita and others do exactly the opposite of what they say? In her talk Dr Voronina will invite us to explore the different ways in which this novel may be read and understood.
Dr Olga G. Voronina has taught at the Universities of Leeds, Nottingham and St Andrews before returning in 2017 to the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at UCL, from whom she received her Ph.D in Comparative Literature in 2011. Dr Voronina is the author of Depicting the Divine: Mikhail Bulgakov and Thomas Mann (Legenda, 2019) and regularly speaks on Russian literature and culture.
Booking will close 24 hours before the scheduled date for the event, i.e. by 7.00 pm on Wednesday, 11th November, so that we can notify KCL in advance of the names of those who have booked to attend in-person. GBRS will disseminate the Microsoft Teams link by email to online attendees on the evening of Wednesday, 11th November after 7.00 pm or on the morning of Thursday, 12th November. It would be helpful if on Thursday, 12th November you could aim to arrive at the Strand Building between 6.30 pm and (at the latest) 6.45 pm so as to register in good time at reception. KCL will kindly be providing drinks from 6.30 pm on.