Solitude & Exile — The Book Roads

Death and the Penguin

Andrey Kurkov

In post-Soviet Kyiv, struggling writer Viktor Alekseyevich Zolotaryov lives a quiet, lonely existence with his unusual companion, Misha, a king penguin rescued from a zoo that can no longer afford to feed its animals. When Viktor secures a job writing obituaries for a local newspaper, he believes his fortunes may finally be changing. His editor, however, has an unsettling request: the obituaries must be written for prominent people who are still alive. Soon, the subjects of Viktor’s obituaries begin dying under mysterious circumstances, drawing him into a dangerous world of political corruption and organised crime. As he tries to understand his role in these events, his apartment becomes a refuge for a young girl and her nanny, bringing unexpected responsibilities into his isolated life. Blending dark humour, absurdism, and political satire, Death and the Penguin offers a haunting portrait of a society struggling to find its footing after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Through Viktor’s unlikely bond with Misha, Kurkov explores loneliness, moral compromise, and the quiet struggle to remain human in a world where violence has become ordinary.

Ukraine 2001