Books
by Andrey Kurkov
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Death and the Penguin |
Viktor, living in post-soviet Russia, earns his living by writing obituaries for currently living people. His companion is a penguin who is unhappy living in an over-heated environment. It is a macabre book, packed with death, but the dead-pan way it is written makes it extremely humorous. The lack of emotion between the characters and the sinister events which occur paint a striking portrait of the bleakness of life in Russia.
(Veronica Edwards - bwl 48 November 2008) |
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Death and the Penguin: translated by George Bird |
I thought I should read a Ukranian author and, having heard him speak about the invasion, I decided on Kurkov. This is the story of Victor, a writer of obituaries, and his pet penguin, Misha. They live together in Victor’s flat. Although often darkly comic, it is not without warmth and humanity, particularly when a young girl, Sonya, is left with him. However, oppression and fear mount and Victor flees alone. Bizarre but worth the read.
(Christine Miller - bwl 108 Spring 2023) |
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Grey Bees |
Peace-loving beekeeper Sergey is one of only two residents remaining in a village in the 'grey zone' between warring Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces (back then...). Worried for his bees he decides to take them away from the noise of shelling and sets off into peaceful Ukraine and thence to (Russian) Crimea. Unobtrusively, Kurkov uses Sergey's very human adventures to denounce the painful socio-political realities of that complex region. I absolutely loved this eye-opening bitter-sweet saga.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 105 Summer 2022) |
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Grey Bees |
Sergey and his frenemy are the only inhabitants in a tiny abandoned village in Ukraine’s Grey Zone in the Donbas region. Under constant bombardment, with no electricity and very little food, Sergey, a simple, kindhearted man, decides to take his bees away from the shelling so they can fly safely and pollinate in peace. Although set in a war zone and addressing the history and politics of the region, for me it was magical, because it was so gentle and uplifting.
(Denise Lewis - bwl 110 Autumn 2023) |
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