Written in the mid-1930s but left unfinished at his death, this book is a biting, semi-autobiographical satire of the Soviet theatrical world. It serves as Bulgakov’s "revenge" on the Moscow Art Theatre and its legendary director, Konstantin Stanislavsky.
The story follows Sergei Maxudov, a struggling, disillusioned writer working a dead-end job at a shipping gazette. After his novel is rejected and he contemplates suicide, he is miraculously invited to adapt his book into a play for the prestigious "Independent Theatre."
What begins as a dream quickly devolves into a bureaucratic and artistic nightmare. And I definitely do not want to experience this nightmare in real life.
There is the ego clash: Maxudov is caught between the theater’s two powerful, feuding directors (satirical versions of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko). There is the "Method": He watches in horror as Stanislavsky (named Ivan Vasilievich in the book) subjects the actors to absurd "system" exercises (like riding a bicycle to demonstrate "love") that strip the play of its original meaning. And there is the censorship: Maxudov must navigate the "labyrinth" of Soviet theater, where artistic vision is constantly sacrificed to satisfy the whims of theater gods and state censors.
This book is actually unfinished, as it ends mid-sentence. But nevertheless, it was a fantastic read. I definitely recommend it to readers that are interested in Bulgakov's works beyond his most famous one. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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