Death and the Penguin

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