When Maxudov's bid to take his own life is unsuccessful, he dramatises the novel whose failure provoked the suicide attempt. To the resentment of literary Moscow, his play is accepted by the legendary "Independent Theatre" and Maxudov plunges into a vortex of inflated egos. With each rehearsal more sparks fly and the chances of the play being ready to perform recede. A brilliant satire on Bulgakov's love-hate relationship with Stanislavsky, "Method-acting" and the Moscow Arts Theatre, 'Black Snow' is the ultimate back-stage novel.
