OCTOBER BOOK CLUB

How is it almost October already?

I am looking forward to hosting you all on Monday October 3rd.  I am in NYC all weekend and working kind of late on Monday so it may well be take out - we shall see!  The address is 146 Westminster Ave. Usual time at 7PM.  Hope to see you then.  Please let me know who can make it.

xo
Miriana

Next Book - THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov

Considered one of the finest creations of Russian literature in the 20th century…. And available in book stores.

I have plagiarized the following synopses - happy reading:

Mikhail Bulgakov's devastating satire of Soviet life was written during the darkest period of Stalin's regime. Combining two distinct yet interwoven parts—one set in ancient Jerusalem, one in contemporary Moscow—the novel veers from moods of wild theatricality with violent storms, vampire attacks, and a Satanic ball; to such somber scenes as the meeting of Pilate and Yeshua, and the murder of Judas in the moonlit garden of Gethsemane; to the substanceless, circus-like reality of Moscow. Its central characters, Woland (Satan) and his retinue—including the vodka-drinking black cat, Behemoth; the poet, Ivan Homeless; Pontius Pilate; and a writer known only as The Master, and his passionate companion, Margarita—exist in a world that blends fantasy and chilling realism, an artful collage of grotesqueries, dark comedy, and timeless ethical questions.

The Master and Margarita is a complex and multi-level novel. The city of Moscow is made unsafe by professor Woland and his henchmen. These suspects prove to be of diabolic origin and make the life difficult of the artists, civil servants and others who are walking along with the regime. In a very contagious manner the reader becomes witness of decapitations, arson, black magic, abductions, counterfeiting of currency and self-satisfied people who are litterally put in the nude... no lack of fantasy. Margarita is not afraid of the satanic company. She calls on the devil, flies on her broom through Moscow as an experienced witch, in search of her disappeared lover, the Master. He stays in a psychiatric institution. He had written a book on Pontius Pilate, with a completely new variant of Jesus' trial. But the manuscript was rejected by law-abiding editors and in the press appeared ominous articles about the novel while it was never published. As a result, the master collapsed totally, and he even burned his manuscript. But it shows up again because.. Рукописи не горят or "manuscripts don't burn"...

The punitive expedition of the devil throughout Moscow, Margarita's search for her lover and excerpts from the Master's novel about Pontius Pilate are the most important materials for The Master and Margarita. The book is not only a funny and sometimes caustic criticism on the soviet society between 1920 and 1940 but also a touching love story... And the devil, after all, does not at all appear a bad chap. The book shows the large creative fantasy of Bulgakov. His work is part of a Russian tradition of satire that started with Gogol and continued with authors as Zostchenko, Ilf and Petrov.

Hi ladies.
This Monday we will be having bookclub at my house.
I am hoping that we can be outside but no guarantees.
I am at 1028 Queen Street East.  Parking on the street is free after 6pm.
If the front door is not open please feel free to text and I will come and open up(can't hear my doorbell from the deck).
416-841-4117
I am having BBQ and salmon.  If this doesn't work for you,  please let me know .
Happy to see you all and let me know if you can come.
me.