Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Annual Reading of The Master and Margarita (Chapters 1-5)

 


October 1 and we embark once again the reading of The Master and Margarit. Many are easily turned off by its - at times -seemingly confusing stories. But when you look at when it was written and think about some of its themes and symbolism, the story begins to have much more meaning then just talking cats playing chess and naked witches flying around on pigs.

There are 32 chapters broken into two parts. For this summary, we use the unabridged translation by Michael Glenny. Are you ready?

Some characters/places you may run into:

Berlioz, Mikhail Alexandrovich – Also known as Misha. He is the chairman at Massolit (Massovaia Literature – or literature of the masses)

Ponyrev (Ivan Nikolaevich Bezdomny) – A poet

Woland - Also known as The Professor, The Foreigner, The Devil

Styopa (Stepan Bogdanovich) Likhodeyev – Director of the Theatre

Behemoth – A rather large, black, talking, chess-playing cat

Koroviev – Part of Woland’s entourage. Always in a checkered jacket and pince-nez glass.

Azazello – Part of Woland’s entourage

The Master – The book’s namesake. In love with Margarita. He is a writer who cannot get his book about Pilate and Jesus published

Margarita – The Master’s lover

Hella – A vampress with bright red hair who works for Woland

Pilate - Roman procurator of the province of Judea from 26-36 AD. He also has a dog in the story (Benga)

Yeshua Ha Nostri - Believed to be the Jesus we know

Matthew – A disciple of Yeshua

Judas – Betrayed Yeshua

It is time!!! 

The Master and Margarita annual reading begins now.


Chapter 1: Never Talk to Strangers

It is summer in Patriarch’s Ponds. Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz, editor and chairman of the writer’s union Massolit, and the younger poet Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev, who writes under the pseudonym Bezdomny.

The two men buy warm apricot juice at a refreshment kiosk (it is oddly the only drink available). Berlioz, who has a bout of hiccups, and then seemingly an anxiety attack, also sees an extremely tall, thin, and transparent man who appears to be levitating just above the ground. Berlioz tells Ivan about the sight, explaining it as “something like a hallucination” and exclaiming dismissively, “Pah, the devil!”

Berlioz discusses with Ivan about a poem he has been commissioned to write. While it is supposed to be “anti-religious”, Berlioz comments that Ivan indeed made Jesus seem “too alive”.

The mysterious man appears again, and Berlioz dismisses him as “foreign”. He is wearing an expensive grey suit, a beret, and carrying a stick “with a black knob shaped like a poodle’s head.” He also has two crowns on his front teeth, one platinum and one gold. Similarly, this stranger’s eyes are also two different colors: black and green. He sits down on the next bench down from Berlioz and Ivan.

After asking a series of questions, the stranger, predicts the demise of Berlioz in an odd way, referencing Anna, sunflower seed oil, and decapitation. Briefly producing a card with the words “Professor” and “W” readable, the stranger proceeds to tell the gentlemen that “Jesus did exist.”

 

Chapter 2: Pontius Pilate

The Professor begins his story: It is the day before Passover. Pontius Pilate has had an excruciating headache all day and he’s blaming it on the smell of rose oil from the garden.

A beaten prisoner Yeshua is placed before Pilate, having been sentenced to death for inciting the people. Of course, Yeshua, tries to deny the charge. His humbleness seems to anger Pilate, who insists the prisoner call him Hegemon. When asked if he told the people to destroy the temple.

Yeshua proceeds to tell Pilate that he has senses he has a headache and would rather be with his dog, Banga, than dealing with himself, the prisoner. That you can’t give all of your attention to a dog because you’ve lost faith in the people. Shockingly, he also tells him to take a walk, while also predicting a coming storm.

Pilate tells the guards to unbind the prisoner. He continues his line of questioning, asking him if he’s a physician. Also, he questions whey Yeshua calls everyone “good people.”

Explaining why he refers to everyone as “good,” Yeshua states that “there are no evil people in the world.”

Pilate asks Yeshua if it is true that he has said anything bad about the emperor Caesar and then questions Yeshua on whether he knows Judas from Karioth and if Yeshua said what he was reported by Judas to have said. Yeshua readily admits what he told Judas. This was when he was arrested.

Pilate becomes very angry and confirms Yeshua’s death sentence. He orders that Yeshua be kept separate from the other prisoners and, that no prison guard is allowed to talk to him.

Pilate is then visited by Joseph Kaifa, a high priest. In honor of Passover, the Sanhedrin are allowed to choose a prisoner to set free: either Bar-Rabban or Yeshua. Kaifa tells Pilate that Bar-Rabba is their choice.

Pilate seems bothered by their choice, asking several times if that is really their choice. They argue over the reason as to not choose Yeshua. It seems as of the “peaceful philosopher” has made an impact on Pilate. But it is Bar-Rabba who is to be set free. Yeshua’s death sentence is final. It is 10am.

 


Chapter 3: The Seventh Proof

The professor ends his story. Berlioz argues that this foreigner’s story does not match what is in the Gospels. Amused, the Professor whispers that he was there so he actually knows the story better…because he was there (of course!).

The two look at the stranger as if he’s mad (no, they know he’s mad).

Berlioz then inquires as to where the professor will be staying during his visit to Moscow. The professor says he’ll be staying at Berlioz’s. He then asks Ivan if he believes in the devil.

Berlioz decides to sneak off and make a phone call to the to report the professor. As Berlioz hurries off, the professor calls to him to ask if Berlioz would like a telegram sent to his uncle in Kiev. Berlioz is confused, as he does have an uncle in Kiev but there’s no way the professor would know.

Walking towards the train station, Berlioz notices the same man that had seemed to be levitating earlier dressed in checkered directs Berlioz to the turnstile and, taking off his jockey cap, asks Berlioz to spare some change.

Berlioz steps through the turnstile to cross to the tram tracks but notices a tram racing towards him. He moves back to safety but, as he does so, slips and tumbles into the path of the tram and is decapitated.

 

Chapter 4: The Pursuit

Ivan runs to the turnstile and sees Berlioz’s head bouncing on the pavement. He can barely stand as he hears two women discussing what happened … Anna spilled sunflower oil by the turnstile, making the floor slippery. Had thief foreigner planned that whole thing? How could he have known?

He goes back to the bench, and finds the strange man still sitting there, talking with a companion wearing checkered trousers and a jockey cap.

The professor pretends to not speak or understand Russian as Ivan asks the professor his identity. The companion tells Ivan not to bother the foreigner. Ivan begins to suspect the companion is also in on the charade…but disappears and re-appears when Ivan tries to grab him.

Ivan notices the two men suddenly far off in the distance … joined by a big black cat the size of a pig walking on his hind legs. Ivan runs after them and the large cat runs onto the tram, pushing a screaming woman off to make room for himself, but also offers to pay the fare.

Ivan continues his chase of the professor but quickly loses him. However, Ivan has the feeling that he will be at No. 13 flat 47. He bursts through the front door of course the professor will be hiding in the bathroom! In the bathroom is a woman taking a bath, who seems more alarmed that her husband will return soon than of Ivan bursting through the door.

Oddly, Ivan steals a religious candle from the apartment and heads to the Moscow River now convinced that this is where he will find the professor. He dives into the water after removing his clothes and giving them to a random person.

Not finding the professor, Ivan exits the water and finds only underwear, a torn blouse, and the icon with a box of matches. He decides to head to Griboedov’s, of course the professor will be there!

 

                                                                                       Artwork, The Master and Margarita by Tasha Ivy


Chapter 5: The Affair at Griboyedov

Griboedov’s is building that houses Massolit, the literary society headed up by Berlioz and boasts a fancy restaurant.

At this time, writers are waiting for Berlioz, who of course, is on three tables down at the morgue.

At midnight, the restaurant comes to life with a band and dancing. Just as suddenly, the restaurant manager, Archibald, runs in telling all about Berlioz’s death. Shortly after, Ivan appears in his underwear and torn shirt, of course, he is also holding the lit candle. Everyone agrees, Ivan has gone delirious as he begins to share stores of a stranger, that Berlioz’s death was perpetrated by none other than Professor W. Oh, and then there was the walking, taking cat.

Ivan rants frenziedly about the events surrounding the strange professor, making little sense to anyone in the restaurant. He tells them that the professor killed Berlioz, but on being asked the professor’s name can only remember that it begins with a “W.” As Ivan goes on describing, amongst other things, a walking, talking cat, someone suggests calling a doctor for him. Ivan is soon hauled off by the police to a psychiatric clinic.