Death and the Penguin
A BBC Two Between the Covers Pick
Published on 1. June 2011
240 pages
978-1-4464-8336-7 (ISBN)
Description
All that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a penguin.
Viktor writes obituaries for a newspaper in Kyiv; the only creature he trusts is his pet penguin, Misha. But when his 'subjects' start dying while their tributes sit in his drawer, Viktor realises he's writing death notices to order.
Bleakly funny and quietly tragic, Death and the Penguin captures life in a collapsing world where conscience and corruption blur. Kurkov's understated prose turns absurdity into menace - a masterpiece of Eastern European noir with feathers and frostbite.
'A tragicomic masterpiece' Daily Telegraph
'A black comedy of rare distinction' Spectator
Viktor writes obituaries for a newspaper in Kyiv; the only creature he trusts is his pet penguin, Misha. But when his 'subjects' start dying while their tributes sit in his drawer, Viktor realises he's writing death notices to order.
Bleakly funny and quietly tragic, Death and the Penguin captures life in a collapsing world where conscience and corruption blur. Kurkov's understated prose turns absurdity into menace - a masterpiece of Eastern European noir with feathers and frostbite.
'A tragicomic masterpiece' Daily Telegraph
'A black comedy of rare distinction' Spectator
Reviews / Votes
The deadpan tone works perfectly and it will be a hard-hearted reader who is not touched by Viktor's relationship with his unusual pet * The Times * A chilling black comedy * Guardian * A striking portrait of post-Soviet isolation... In this bleak moral landscape Kurkov manages to find ample refuge for his dark humour * New York Times * A minor tragi-comic masterpiece * Daily Telegraph * A brilliant satirical take on life in modern-day Kiev. Watch out, though, as Kurkov's writing style is highly addictive * Punch * 'Our anti-hero finds himself writing obituaries for soon to be deceased undesirables in the chaotic and dangerous modern Ukraine, macaberly observed by his depressed pet King Penguin Misha. Immensely readable with terrifically dark humour, loved it.' * Wayne Winstone, Ottakars * One of my favourite novels of all time -- Misha GlennyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
File size
0,53 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4464-8336-7 (9781446483367)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2002
The Harvill Press
€13.00
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Andrey Kurkov was born in St Petersburg in 1961. Having graduated from the Kiev Foreign Languages Institute, he worked for some time as a journalist, did his military service as a prison warder in Odessa, then became a film cameraman, writer of screenplays and author of critically acclaimed and popular novels, including the cult bestseller Death and the Penguin.
