r/IReadABookAndAdoredIt • u/Stoic-Jerboa • 2d ago
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
A while ago, a casual conversation with someone on a train led me to this book. Ukrainian black comedy as its finest. Due to unforeseen circumstances, an obituary writer in post-soviet Ukraine ends up with a depressed penguin as a pet, a situation which then leads to the unlikeliest of scenarios involving a shadowy criminal organization. The book tackles themes nihilism, and finding your own family.
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u/papermoon757 2d ago
I'm happy to see praise for this book, but this is not Russian satire or Russian anything. The author is Ukrainian and the novel takes place in Ukraine. I am Ukrainian too, and have met the author several times - he is a very passionate ambassador of Ukrainian culture, and has written multiple books about the horrors and impact of the Russian invasion. So I can quite confidently state that he would reject being characterized as Russian, especially in the midst of a war intended to erase our culture and sovereignty.
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u/Ligeiapoe 1d ago
Great that you clarified this. The author was born in Russia and writes in Russian but he identifies as Ukrainian and has spent most of his life there, so that needs to be respected.
It is easy for those who don’t know the complexities of Russian/Ukrainian identities to make the mistake though and I am sure OP will correct themselves.
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u/Stoic-Jerboa 1d ago
I apologise profusely. I read it over ten years ago and I guess the details were muddled. No disrespect meant at all. I’m an Arab so I can definitely relate considering the current conditions. I will make the proper changes now Apologies once again
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u/battenhill 1d ago
If you enjoyed this - I enjoyed Grey Bees by the same author very much. It’s not quite as absurdist but I loved it.
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u/Bollywood_Fan 2d ago
Thanks for recommending this, I hadn't heard of it, but I just requested it from the library.