Andrej Kurkov Boeken

Een eenzaam auteur als Viktor heeft het niet gemakkelijk in een Oekraïense stad als Kiev vandaag de dag. De stad wordt geregeerd door de maffia en zelfs de dierentuin heeft geen geld meer om eten voor de wilde dieren te kopen. Viktor reageert op een oproep uit de krant om een door honger bedreigde koningspinguïn uit de dierentuin op te halen en voedert deze nu zelf met ingevroren vis uit de supermarkt en ingeblikte sardines. De loopbaan van Viktor krijgt een plotselinge wending wanneer hij het aanbod krijgt om voor de krant necrologieën te schrijven voor nog niet overleden prominenten. Tot zijn ontzetting geven de meesten vrij snel na het schrijven van zijn 'kruisje' de geest. Koerkov beschrijft op een humoristische wijze de teloorgang van elke vorm van moraal en de manier waarop gewone mensen proberen te overleven in een door de maffia en voormalige KGB-officieren bestuurde stad. Andrej Koerkov heeft met 'Picknick op het ijs' een meesterwerk geschreven, dat meer inzicht geeft in het dagelijks leven van de Oekraïense stadsbewoner dan welke politieke analyse dan ook. Koerkovs boek wordt op dit moment in vele talen vertaald en heeft zich in Duitsland in korte tijd ontwikkeld tot een bestseller.

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.

A vivid, moving, and sometimes humorous account of life during Russia's invasion, this work provides an uplifting and defiant perspective on the ongoing conflict. For centuries, Ukrainians have resisted efforts to erase their language, songs, and history, facing nearly 400 years of Russian aggression. Ten years after Crimea's annexation and two years into the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian people continue their fight for identity and survival. The second volume of Andrey Kurkov's war diaries chronicles the diverse experiences of Ukrainians amidst Russian hostility, detailing everything from air raid stresses and deportations to Christmas celebrations and trench candle recipes. Kurkov's human-centric view blends satire, tragedy, humor, and heartfelt emotion, offering invaluable insights into Ukraine's history, politics, and culture. This account serves as an essential primer for understanding contemporary life in Ukraine. It captures the transformation of ordinary life into something extraordinary, highlighting themes of survival, hope, and humanity. With a genial yet impassioned voice, Kurkov passionately defends Ukrainian culture against Putin's attempts at erasure, asserting that Ukraine's future hinges on its freedom and independence. His quiet hope for victory resonates throughout this compelling narrative.

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

'Rich, authentic and entertaining' New Statesman Discover the darkly funny follow-up to cult classic Death and the Penguin Viktor - last seen in Death and the Penguin fleeing Mafia vengeance on an Antarctica-bound flight booked for Penguin Misha - seizes a heaven-sent opportunity to return to Kiev with a new identity. Clear now as to the enormity of abandoning Misha, then convalescent from a heart-transplant, Viktor determines to make amends. Viktor falls in with a Mafia boss who engages him to help in his election campaign, then introduces him to men who might further his search for Misha, said to be in a private zoo in Chechnya. What ensues is for Viktor both a quest and an odyssey of atonement, and, for the reader, an experience as rich, topical and illuminating as Death and the Penguin.

Viktor is an aspiring writer with only Misha, his pet penguin, for company. 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. But when he opens the newspaper to see his work in print for the first time, his pride swiftly turns to terror. He and Misha have been drawn into a trap from which there appears to be no escape.

'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.