The Gnostic Novel of Mikhail Bulgakov

In the centennial year of Bulgakov’s birth, this breakthrough, comprehensive study examines Bulgakov’s magnum opus, The Master and Margarita, and its wide-ranging literary and non-literary sources. In addition to a thorough textual analysis, the book establishes Bulgakov’s indebtedness to the Russian Formalists and Paul Florensky’s mystical philosophy, and explores the ‘gnostic’ coloring of Bulgakov’s metaphysics. Contents: The Cognitive Aesthetics of Mikhail Bulgakov; The Jerusalem Chapters: Bulgakov’s Metaphysics and Existential Ethics; The Epiphany of Evil in the Apocalyptic City: The Devil’s ‘Balagan’ on the World’s Stage; The Master: Dilemma of a Romantic Artist; Margarita: Love That Errs and Wins; Pilate’s Pardon and the Lovers’ Eternal Refuge; Ivan Bezdomny, the Master’s Disciple: Heavenly Jerusalem, and Bulgakov’s Mystical Church.