Death and the Penguin

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Death and the Penguin is a novel by Andrey Kurkov. Originally published in 1996 in Russian (as Smerts' postoronnego), it was eventually translated and published in English in 2001. It is a bleak, satirical work with surreal elements and dark humour.

[edit] Brief Summary

The novel follows the life of a young aspiring writer, Viktor Alekseyevich Zolotaryov, in a bleak post-Soviet city. Viktor has a pet penguin, Misha, obtained after the local zoo gave away its animals to those who could afford to support them. Viktor, whilst aiming to write novels, gets a job writing obituaries for a local newspaper. After initial success, Viktor's obituaries become cause for his concern as they drag him deeper and deeper into a world of Mafia run organised-crime.