Death And The Penguin Av Andrej Kurkov

<p><b>A BBC Two Between the Covers Pick<br><br>''A tragicomic masterpiece'' <i>Daily Telegraph</i></b><br><br><b>All that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a penguin.</b><br><br>Viktor is an aspiring writer in Ukraine with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company.<br><br>Although Viktor 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.<br><br>But when Viktor opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. Viktor and Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape.<br><br><b>''A striking portrait of post-Soviet isolation... In this bleak moral landscape Kurkov manages to find ample refuge for his dark humour'' <i>New York Times</i></b></p>