Andrei Kurkov est un écrivain d'origine ukrainienne dont l'œuvre explore souvent l'absurdité de la vie et les complexités de l'identité ukrainienne à travers un style distinctif et légèrement surréaliste. Sa prose se caractérise par un humour incisif et une profonde compréhension de la nature humaine, souvent située dans des contextes post-soviétiques. Kurkov mêle magistralement la satire aux thèmes existentiels, faisant résonner ses récits auprès des lecteurs en quête de sens plus profonds dans le quotidien. Son écriture offre une perspective nouvelle sur les changements culturels et politiques.
Victor, de retour d'Antarctique, n'a qu'une idée en tête : retrouver son pingouin Micha, qui a atterri dans le zoo personnel d'un richissime Moscovite. Victor parcourt l'Ukraine et la Russie et s'aventure jusque dans les plus sombres recoins de la Tchétchénie.En funambule virtuose, Kourkov sillonne le gouffre qui sépare le rire du drame avec une aisance incomparable.
Si Victor Zolotarev adopte un pingouin au zoo de Kiev en faillite, c'est pour couler avec lui des jours paisibles. Mais nourrir deux personnes n'est pas une mince affaire pour un écrivain, dans un pays déboulonné. Heureusement, la providence - sous les traits affables d'un rédacteur en chef - apporte une solution étrange et alléchante : rédiger pour un grand quotidien des notices nécrologiques de personnalités encore en vie. Boulot tranquille et lucratif, jusqu'au jour où sa prose se met à avoir des effets inattendus... Un tableau impitoyable de l'ex-Union soviétique.
This journal of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine is a collection of Andrey Kurkov's writings and broadcasts from Kyiv.
Set against a backdrop of nostalgia, the narrative unfolds as a joyous caper filled with playful energy. It intertwines magical elements and supernatural twists, creating a whimsical atmosphere. The story evokes a sense of bittersweet longing for a brighter past, blending humor and enchantment to engage readers in an uplifting adventure.
Ukraine's most famous novelist dramatises the conflict raging in his country through the adventures of a mild-mannered beekeeper. From the author of the bestselling Death and the Penguin.
Going beyond the headlines, this title gives an insight into what it's like to live through - and try to make sense of - times of intense political unrest
Murdered, you will be of greater interest than ever you were in life. A mysterious killing lives long in the popular memory. Our hero meticulously plans his own demise, except for one detail: what if he suddenly decides he wants to live?'Kurkov's eye for the absurdities of Ukrainian life is as sharp as ever' - Sunday Telegraph
When Kolya moves into a new flat in Kiev, he discovers an annotated manuscript hidden inside a copy of War and Peace and decides to track down its author, even if it means digging up the grave of a Ukranian nationalist who died in mysterious circumstances.
Kurkov's style is spare and effective, drawing us with deceptive ease into a dense, complex world full of wonderful characters. Michael Palin.
'A bittersweet work, tough and touching at the same time. Kurkov's style is spare and effective, drawing us with deceptive ease into a dense, complex world full of wonderful characters' Michael Palin A sharp, engaging satire that delves into Ukraine's history. Moscow, 2013. Bunin, the Ukrainian President, has joined other heads of state in an open air swimming pool to drink vodka and celebrate with Putin. During his rise to power Bunin has juggled with formidable and eccentric political and personal challenges. His troubles with his family and his women combine with his difficulties with corrupt businessmen and demanding international allies, but it is his recent heart transplant that worries him most. Since the operation he has started to develop freckles, and his heart donor's mysterious widow seems to have moved in with him... Spanning forty years, The President's Last Love is a hilarious satire on love, lies and life before and after the Iron Curtain.
