El maestro y Margarita

A black-magic act at a Moscow theatre exposes the greed of an audience, and the performer's real identity soon becomes clear: Woland, the devil, with a talking cat named Behemoth and a few hangers-on. Their visit upends the lives of writers and apartment-seekers across the city. Alongside it runs the Master's unpublished novel about Pontius Pilate, and the courage of Margarita, who becomes a witch to win him back. Mikhail Bulgakov worked on the manuscript until his death, and it appeared only decades later.

Comedy, fantasy and political commentary are blended freely. You get one of Russia's best-loved novels, whose scenes stay in memory long afterward.

Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?