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4.0 out of 5 stars
Satire charged with air of menace., Jan 18 2004
A black comedy delivered in an emotionless, deadpan manner, "Death and the Penguin" is a sinister satirical take on life in post-Soviet, modern-day Ukraine. Things take a turn for the better for Viktor, a struggling writer of short stories living alone with only a king penguin for company, when he is taken on by Capital News editor Igor Lvovich to compose obituaries of the various big shots and political big-wigs pulling the strings in post-Soviet Kiev society, these to be kept on file for future use as and when the subjects die. Victor is instructed to incorporate into his compositions, certain loaded material, underlined in the file notes provided him, designed to undermine reputations through insidious innuendo.Shortly after expressing his frustration to a visitor, Misha-non-penguin, (a Mafia-linked figure who wishes Viktor to write an obituary) that none of his work ever appears in print because none of his selected subjects to-date has died, Viktor is shocked to find that in no time at all, the subject of his best obituary is - lo and behold! - suddenly dead. Thereafter, deaths of Viktor's subjects proliferate with such alarming rapidity that Victor fears his penning of an obituary is tantamount to passing a death sentence, his obituaries of the still living having become in effect, requisitions for future death, each obituary providing per se more than sufficient cause for the snuffing out of a life. The unwitting dupe of State Security conspiracy, at least initially, Victor has become enmeshed in the violent underworld of Mafia dealings and political machinations where his own life may end being written up in an obituary. Around Victor, the very air seems charged with menace, an air of menace that pervades the novel. Viktor is at the mercy of dark and dangerous forces swirling around him that he can't exactly get a fix on but knows are there, lurking ominously in the background. Entertaining and original!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A new Russian literary hero, Jan 4 2004
Could it be that a new Russian literary hero is on the horizon? If Andrey Kurkov's modern masterpiece is anything to go by, one could be forgiven for thinking that contemporary Russian literature is dragging itself out of the void. We're not talking about a new Tolstoy or Dostoievsky here, but the black comedy employed by Kurkov is more than a remote testament to political satirist Mikhail Bulgakov. Kurkov's masterstroke is the creation of Penguin Misha, an almost sublime representation of impending death. Despite being a timid and retiring creature, his background appearances personify the approaching danger for his owner Victor who is bizarrely embroiled in a Mafia scam. Curiously, one can't help feeling slightly "in the dark" as to the plot of this novel. The longer it goes on, the more one begins to question the reason and significance of events that have already occurred. It's at this stage that the perplexing, and apparently directionless nature of Kafka's "The Castle" springs to mind. However, fear not: Victor, whose life is continually interfered with from all directions, also appears to be something of a by stander in this novel. The workings of the shady Kiev underworld are as baffling to us, as to our central character. As a result, an endearing empathy is woven between Victor and the reader and here is where the novel really shines.
Kurkov's delivery is sharp, witty and from time to time, laugh-out-loud funny. Yet he still manages to preserve an urgent and menacing quality throughout. Misha and Victor are an understated yet unique double act seldom equalled in other novels of similar genres. Victor is a character powerless within his own domain, a spectator of suicide (his own suicide at that), unable to make sense of anything. The actions of others determine his direction, but as an individual he still has the right to take a way out. Consequently, we are presented with a book of refreshing originality, a direct, almost comical style of the quality one would come to expect from a Russian (well, a Ukrainian anyway!)
(from Brasov Visitor, no. 4/2003 - www.brasov-visitor.ro)
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Absurdist Satire from Ukraine, Oct 4 2003
Ukrainian author Kurkov's slim novel combines modern political and social commentary with traditional Russian absurdist satire in a story about a writer whose pen is literally mightier than the sword. Set in contemporary Kiev, the tale revolves around Viktor, a friendless and familyless 40ish writer who lives alone in a dreary apartment with Misha, an emperor penguin. Apparently Viktor grew lonely after his girlfriend left him, and got Misha a week later when the zoo could no longer afford to keep him. The penguin lives in his apartment, with occasionally cold baths drawn for him to topple into, and plenty of frozen fish to munch on. This is presented so matter-of-factly that, like the best absurdism, it seems entirely reasonable.Viktor's life consists of sitting in his apartment struggling on short stories, until one day he is offered a job writing obituaries of public figures for a newspaper. These are not to be written upon the subject's death, but are for the paper to have on file and ready to go when the person dies (this is common practice in the news world). The work is steady and the pay quite generous, as long as Viktor is sure to include veiled innuendoes and subtle moral commentary on the person, as directed by the editor. This is all well and fine, until Viktor's subjects start suddenly meeting their end with alarming regularity... Meanwhile, a mysterious mafioso shows up at Viktor's apartment and leaves his little girl and a huge wad of cash with Viktor for safekeeping. Kurkov appears to be satirizing the society that has risen from the ashes of the USSR, a society where corruption and organized crime have hijacked the "democratic free market" that replaced communism. For example, one of the funnier little threads has the penguin becoming a "celebrity" mourner at mafia funerals. However, Viktor is too detached to be a truly compelling protagonist. He takes care of Misha, but rarely displays any affection for him-nor any of the other characters who come to rely on him. The book is a darkly amusing tale, but with such a cipher at the center, it's hard to really connect with it. Still, for a glimpse at post-Soviet life and
sensibilities and a taste of Gogolesque humor, it's not bad.
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by D Athill
