The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakovby Mikhail Bulgakov
Shares rank 26 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it for its fun, different and charming tone, and for a strong translation with notable footnotes. Some readers find the opening slow.
People recommend it for its fun, different and charming tone, and for a strong translation with notable footnotes. Some readers find the opening slow.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fun, different, charming tone
“The only widely known fun book outside of Russia is Master and Margarita.”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult” “Really amazing book. So different from all other books, yet so great.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “I thought had a very special charm”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Books of the Century by Le Monde” Considered among the best novels
“One of my personal favourites is Bulgakov'с Master and Margarita”
Comment from 4 Jul 2026 in “Mir Books – Books from the Soviet Era” “Its simply one of the best novels ever written.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Strong translation and footnotes
“My first read was so boring I couldn't help but stop reading before the end of the first chapter.”
Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “"Don't You Just Upload It to ChatGPT?"” “it came with incredible footnotes”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Master and Margaritaby Mikhail BulgakovThis page | 7 | 2 | 78% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
All 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Really amazing book. So different from all other books, yet so great.”
“Its simply one of the best novels ever written.”
“they simply kept introducing new characters and doing jumps for no reason”
“One of my personal favourites is Bulgakov'с Master and Margarita”
“The only widely known fun book outside of Russia is Master and Margarita.”
“it came with incredible footnotes”
“I think this is as good as it gets. They did a phenomenal job.”
“My first read was so boring I couldn't help but stop reading before the end of the first chapter.”
“I thought had a very special charm”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.