There were a lot of books in the study, as well as in the corridor, the dining room, — everywhere. I was struck by the abundance of all kinds of explanatory and phraseological dictionaries in several foreign languages, and all the reference books, cookbooks, horoscopes, dream dictionaries, various almanacs and travel guidebooks for various cities and countries.

Please come every day from 4 to 6 and read!

Mikhail Afanasievich read ‘The Master and Margarita’ in his office, sitting not at his desk, but somewhere to the side, on an ottoman, it seems. How did he read his prose? Just like his plays. He read extremely easily, without any exaggerations, unobtrusively, without playing up any of the characters, without ‘giving’ either humor or unexpected transitions, no matter how incredible they may be. But in Bulgakov’s style of reading, everything in this novel — monumental and feverish, grotesque and lyrical — all this was further amplified by the intensity and sharpness of his visions… There was nothing accidental about this style of reading, although everything seemed to be born right there with us, rather than written in advance in ink on paper. Sometimes the tension became excessive, and it was difficult to cope with it. I remember that when he finished reading, we were silent for a long time, feeling as if we were broken. And it took me a long time to understand the philosophical and moral meaning of this amazing work.