The novel is about a young screenwriter, Shep, who collaborates on a screenplay about a college winter festival with a famous novelist, Manley Halliday, who was successful in the 1920s but is now considered over the hill.
It was reportedly based on Schulberg's experiences writing the film Winter Carnival with F. Scott Fitzgerald.
How could Budd, who professed to love Scott, who seemed to regard himself as his heir, present such a dreadful image of him to the world?
Its dialog and action pour salt on the open wounds of a career shattered by a dissipating influence it could not control.
Tense, at times stirring drama and exceptionally well acted, this isn’t “entertainment” in the more frivolous sense of the word but it should have substantial appeal to playgoers who appreciate something more.