Black Snow [Paperback]

Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

When Max Maxudov's novel fails, he attempts suicide. When that fails, he dramatizes his novel. To Maxudov's surprise, the play is accepted by the legendary "Independent Theatre". But now a vortex of inflated egos may prevent the play from ever being performed.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

To those living in the West, the Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov is known as a fiction writer, his reputation resting largely on his greatly-loved novel The Master and Margarita. During his life in the Soviet Union (1891-1940), however, Bulgakov's biggest career successes came as a playwright in the immensely influential Moscow theater. The novel Black Snow, is Bulgakov's lampoon of that entire pre-war Russian drama scene, complete with a fictional version of his nemesis, the great Stanislavsky (of method acting fame). The book is a writer's story about hapless Maxuduv, an unlucky author (not unlike Bulgakov himself) who is torn apart under the insane forces, overcooked egos, and political machinations that rumbled through the world of the theater at that time. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Bulgakov is regarded as the Soviet writer who made the strongest impact on twentieth-century Western fiction." -- Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times

"Bulgakov is the first magical realist." -- Craig Raine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harvill Pr (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860466397
• ISBN-13: 978-1860466397
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,242,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing portrait of Soviet literary and theatrical milieu, June 6, 2001

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a reader from New York (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Black Snow. (Paperback)

In this autobiographical novel, Bulgakov describes his experiences working with the Moscow Art Theatre of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko in the 1930's. The characters and situations are exaggerated to enhance the satire, and it is obviously not impartial, but it is extremely revealing nonetheless. This book, which is critical of Stanislavsky's method and the Soviet theatre scene of the 1930's, gives a moving portrait of a talented, dedicated author working against incredible odds. As usual in Bulgakov, satire is mixed with a serious message. Anyone interested in Bulgakov, the theatre, or Russian cultural history will enjoy this book.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some clarification, August 7, 2002

By 

Vasya Ozerov (Trieste, Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Snow (Paperback)

Translation of the name of the book is chosen badly.
It is 'Teatral'nyi roman' - not 'Black Snow'!
The latter is the name of the novel which gets written by the narrator and plays an auxiliary role in the story (it is of course a paraphrase on the 'White Guard' - the image of a man running on the snow away from the horsemen is from there).
In part, the subject of 'Teatral'nyi roman' is theatre - theatre which enchants the narrator.

It is the most fluent and polished of all Bulgakov novels, though unfinished; judging by the reviews of the english speakers, the translation apparently lost that virtue.

About its being 'critical of Stanislavsky'. This is simply not the point, although I can understand the English reader, who tries to find some known landmarks. Of course Bulgakov ironizing on behalf of the actors, their ethiquette and life in the theatre, but this just serves to depict the theatre charm.
As the description of the golden horse on the empty scene which Maksudov sees when he first enters the building of the Independent Theatre.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immensely enjoyable read., November 29, 2007

By 

Todd E. Babcock (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black Snow (Vintage Classics) (Paperback)

I stumbled across Mikhail Bulgakov completely by accident. I was reading up on Stanislavsky, the reknowned Russian acting teacher, and came across this little book as part of my research.

What followed was surely a possessed spell where I couldn't put it down. While truly biased, as being an actor, by the behind the scenes aspect of the mythological Moscow Art Theatre, I was more overcome by just how appetizing Bulgakov's prose truly is.

Bulgakov's absolute disregard for typical structure and wordflow are what makes him so readable. He truly captures the essence of lonliness and the absurdity any creative feels when they are mining the depths of imagination and the dread that follows with it's exposure.

While it may help to have a foot in the lore of Stanislavsky and the Art Theatre, I DO believe this work can stand on it's own. The only regret, I felt, was when it ended. It's quite abrupt and left me wanting an entire 'second half'.

But, then, as they say in theatre. 'Leave them wanting more.'

A great intro to futher reading of Bulgakov, if, like me, your just stumbling upon him.