Death And The Penguin (Shortlisted For Independent Foreign

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. Review: '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 Prizes: Shortlisted for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2002. Author Biography: 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.