Death And The Penguin (Panther) [Paperback]

The publication of Death and the Penguin, Andrey Kurkov's debut novel, heralds a unique new voice in post-soviet satire. Set in the Ukraine in the years immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this dark, deadpan tale chronicles the journalistic career of Victor, who shares a flat with Misha, his depressed Penguin, rescued from the under-funded zoo in Kiev. Victor is asked to write obelisks, obituaries, for a prominent city paper about notable figures in the community, and quickly transforms himself from struggling writer to wealthy journalist. It soon becomes apparent that there is a more sinister motive at play, and Victor finds himself descending in a Kafkaesque realm of suspicion and unease.

This strange, thoughtful and gentle novel will leave the reader satisfied and perplexed at its conclusion. Kurkov seems to question whether Victor or the Penguin is lonelier and more out of place in his environment. The Death in the title is ever present, though not in an oppressive way, but this also makes one want to question Victor's belief that a long hard life is better than a quick death. Many comparisons will undoubtedly be made between Kurkov's novel and the writing of other authors from the former Soviet republics to make it to print in the United Kingdom. Certainly it's fair to say that this belongs to the tradition of Russian satire made well known in this country by writers such as Mikhail Bulgakov and Venedikt Yarofeev. It is also interesting to read this alongside the works of contemporaries such as Evgenev Popov and Viktor Pelevin. However, where Pelevin drifts off into the fantastical and esoteric, Kurkov keeps it deadpan and very real. It is important to remember that many of the strange events that occur in this book are grounded in fact: amals really were given away by Kiev zoo--truth is often stranger than fiction. --Iain Robinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Pathos and humour shine through to make this a black comedy of rare distinction, and the penguin is an invention of genius" John de Falbe, Spectator; "A minor tragi-comic masterpiece" Martin Booth, Daily Telegraph; "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" Anthea Lawson, The Times; "A brilliant satirical take on life in modern-day Kiev. Watch out, though, as Kurkov's writing style is highly addictive" Punch

"A minor tragi-comic masterpiece. This appears at first to be a bizarre comedy but it darkens, gripping the reader and drawing him into the grey world of post-communist Russia, where serious crime flourishes, revenge and greed are paramount, violence gratuitous and terrifyingly sudden, and where anything can be bought with a crisp American dollar bill"

"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"

"It's engrossing stuff, from the snappy title through to a neat pay-off"

In today's Ukraine, all that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a penguin

"Death and the Penguin is a brilliant satirical take on life in modern-day Kiev. Watch out, though, as Kurkov's writing style is highly addictive"

"A successfully brooding novel, which creates an enduring sense of dismay and strangeness"

"Genuinely original"

"Wry, black humour infuses this unusual, moving satire from the Ukraine"

Viktor is an aspiring writer with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company. Although he would prefer to write short stories, he earns a living composing obituaries for a newspaper. He longs to see his work published, yet the subjects of his obituaries continue to cling to life. But when he opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. He and Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape.

Andrei Kurkov's Death & the Penguin has become both a media critical success and a word-of-mouth favourite. If you like Haruki Murakami, readers say, you will love Andrei Kurkov. It is an immensely enjoyable black comedy as well as a very direct satire on contemporary Ukraine.

ANDREY KURKOV, born in St Petersburg in 1961, now lives in Kiev. Having graduated from the Kiev Foreign Languages Institute, he worked for some time as a journalist, did his military service as a prison warder at Odessa, then became a film cameraman, writer of screenplays and author of critically acclaimed and popular novels including Death and the Penguin.