The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov first edition 1967

London: Collins and Harvill Press, 1967
 
8vo., green cloth ruled and titled in gilt along backstrip; together in the iconic dustwrapper illustrated by Alex Jawdokimov (30s. net); pp. [xii], 13-445, [iii]; the book lightly bruised to spine tips, with light spotting to prelims and edges; previous ownership signature in ink to ffep; else very good in the like wrapper, text to spine faded (as is common), the front panel remaining bright; with rubbing, creases and light shelfwear; some very small abrasions to head and foot of spine and a couple of small closed tears to upper edge, one leading to slight loss of laminate layer. 
 
First UK edition. 
 
Bulgakov was born in Kiev in 1891 and trained as a doctor, a career which would greatly impact his future writings. He moved to Russia in 1921 and began writing the manuscript for what would later become The Master and Margarita in 1928, although he famously burned his first attempt, claiming that he could not see a future as a writer in the midst of the ongoing political and social repression prevalent at the time. The second draft was completed in 1936, but another three versions followed, and the work was left uncompleted upon his death in 1940. Bulgakov had reportedly written to Stalin asking to leave Russia before he died, a request which was denied. The first book edition did not appear until 1967 by the YMCA Press, after a manuscript was smuggled out of the Soviet Union to Paris. 
 
Centering around the character of Professor Woland, a manifestation of the devil incarnate, Bulgakov’s plot focuses on Satan and his visit to Stalin and the Soviet Union during one hot Spring in the 1930s. Armed with an entourage which include a black cat and a naked witch, the devil wreaks havoc on the streets of Moscow, and in particular two characters: the Master, a writer who has as his focus the subjects of Christ and Pontius Pilate, and Margarita, who is deeply in love with him. Bulgakov’s classic is a combination of autobiography, satire, romance, and themes of the supernatural, all rolled into one. 
 
A first edition copy of what some consider to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and certainly an extremely important work of Soviet satire. 
 
"What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it? After all, shadows are cast by objects and people. There is the shadow of my sword. But there are also shadows of trees and living creatures. Would you like to denude the earth of all the trees and all the living beings in order to satisfy your fantasy of rejoicing in the naked light? You are a fool."