The Master and Margarita

by

Mikhail Bulgakov

Koroviev is Woland’s right-hand man. He usually wears a pince-nez, a jockey’s cap and chequered clothes. Koroviev is adept at manipulating the Muscovites into showing the worst of themselves, for example, by convincing Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy to accept a bribe on Woland’s behalf. He has a piercing, nasal voice and an erratic temperament, but unlike the rest of Woland’s entourage never directly commits acts of violence. Instead, he delights in orchestrating scenarios that create chaos and havoc.

Koroviev Quotes in The Master and Margarita

The The Master and Margarita quotes below are all either spoken by Koroviev or refer to Koroviev. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Courage and Cowardice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

At the deceased’s desk sat an unknown, skinny, long citizen in a little checkered jacket, a jockey’s cap, and a pince-nez... well, in short, that same one.

‘And who might you be, citizen?’ Nikanor Ivanovich asked fearfully.

‘Hah! Nikanor Ivanovich!’ the unexpected citizen yelled in a rattling tenor and, jumping up, greeted the chairman with a forced and sudden handshake. This greeting by no means gladdened Nikanor Ivanovich.

‘Excuse me,’ he said suspiciously, ‘but who might you be? Are you an official person?’

‘Eh, Nikanor Ivanovich!’ the unknown man exclaimed soulfully. ‘What are official and unofficial persons? It all depends on your point of view on the subject. It’s all fluctuating and relative, Nikanor Ivanovich. Today I’m an unofficial person, and tomorrow, lo and behold, I’m an official one! And it also happens the other way round – oh, how it does!’

Related Characters: Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy (speaker), Koroviev (speaker), Mikhael Alexandrovich Berlioz
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

In a few seconds, the rain of money, ever thickening, reached the seats, and the spectators began snatching at it.

Hundreds of arms were raised, the spectators held the bills up to the lighted stage and saw the most true and honest-to-God watermarks. The smell also left no doubts: it was the incomparably delightful smell of freshly printed money. The whole theatre was seized first with merriment and then with amazement. The word ‘money, money!’ hummed everywhere, there were gasps of ‘ah, ah!’ and merry laughter. One or two were already crawling in the aisles, feeling under the chairs. Many stood on the seats, trying to catch the flighty, capricious notes.

Related Characters: Woland, Koroviev
Page Number: 124-125
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

‘No,’ replied Margarita, ‘most of all I’m struck that there’s room for all this.’ She made a gesture with her hand, emphasizing the enormousness of the hall.

Koroviev grinned sweetly, which made the shadows stir in the folds of his nose.

‘The most uncomplicated thing of all!’ he replied. ‘For someone well acquainted with the fifth dimension, it costs nothing to expand space to the desired proportions. I’ll say more, respected lady - to devil knows what proportions!

Related Characters: Margarita (speaker), Koroviev
Page Number: 250
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Master and Margarita LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Master and Margarita PDF

Koroviev Quotes in The Master and Margarita

The The Master and Margarita quotes below are all either spoken by Koroviev or refer to Koroviev. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Courage and Cowardice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

At the deceased’s desk sat an unknown, skinny, long citizen in a little checkered jacket, a jockey’s cap, and a pince-nez... well, in short, that same one.

‘And who might you be, citizen?’ Nikanor Ivanovich asked fearfully.

‘Hah! Nikanor Ivanovich!’ the unexpected citizen yelled in a rattling tenor and, jumping up, greeted the chairman with a forced and sudden handshake. This greeting by no means gladdened Nikanor Ivanovich.

‘Excuse me,’ he said suspiciously, ‘but who might you be? Are you an official person?’

‘Eh, Nikanor Ivanovich!’ the unknown man exclaimed soulfully. ‘What are official and unofficial persons? It all depends on your point of view on the subject. It’s all fluctuating and relative, Nikanor Ivanovich. Today I’m an unofficial person, and tomorrow, lo and behold, I’m an official one! And it also happens the other way round – oh, how it does!’

Related Characters: Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy (speaker), Koroviev (speaker), Mikhael Alexandrovich Berlioz
Page Number: 96
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

In a few seconds, the rain of money, ever thickening, reached the seats, and the spectators began snatching at it.

Hundreds of arms were raised, the spectators held the bills up to the lighted stage and saw the most true and honest-to-God watermarks. The smell also left no doubts: it was the incomparably delightful smell of freshly printed money. The whole theatre was seized first with merriment and then with amazement. The word ‘money, money!’ hummed everywhere, there were gasps of ‘ah, ah!’ and merry laughter. One or two were already crawling in the aisles, feeling under the chairs. Many stood on the seats, trying to catch the flighty, capricious notes.

Related Characters: Woland, Koroviev
Page Number: 124-125
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

‘No,’ replied Margarita, ‘most of all I’m struck that there’s room for all this.’ She made a gesture with her hand, emphasizing the enormousness of the hall.

Koroviev grinned sweetly, which made the shadows stir in the folds of his nose.

‘The most uncomplicated thing of all!’ he replied. ‘For someone well acquainted with the fifth dimension, it costs nothing to expand space to the desired proportions. I’ll say more, respected lady - to devil knows what proportions!

Related Characters: Margarita (speaker), Koroviev
Page Number: 250
Explanation and Analysis: