Andrey Kurkov

Als Tagträumer hat es Viktor schwer in Kiew der Neureichen und der Mafia: ohne Geld und ohne Freundin lebt er mit dem Pinguin Mischa und schreibt unvollendete Romane für die Schublade. Zum Überleben verfaßt er für eine große Tageszeitung Nekrologe über Berühmtheiten, die allerdings noch gar nicht gestorben sind. Wie jeder Autor möchte Viktor seine Texte auch veröffentlicht sehen. Ein Wunsch, der beängstigend schnell in Erfüllung geht.

It is the 1930s, and the American government is trying to poach the USSR's most famous botanist, Ivan Michurin, whose experimental fruit trees are ensuring bounteous harvests for the Motherland. Encouraged by the Soviet authorities, Michurin agrees to the proposal, and American scientists and engineers dig up his orchards and build a floating island to carry his specimens across the ocean. The floating orchard, propelled by three gigantic diesel engines, sets off on its long journey via a route calculated by ocean current experts. But Michurin gets wind that his island is a Trojan horse, and that he is a figurehead of a secret plot to cripple the most powerful capitalist country in the world. The fate of millions now lies in his hands. Set in an alternative USSR in which Kalinin not Stalin succeeded Lenin, Mr Muchurin's Gardens takes a myth about a legend of Soviet botany and runs with it, treating readers to all the delights of Kurkov's unique sense of the absurd along the way. Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk

In this third volume of Andrey Kurkov's war diaries, Ukraine's greatest living writer chronicles the third year of the full-scale Russian invasion from his home in Kyiv and from journeys all over the country - capturing moments of horror, resilience, absurdity and grace with an unmatched clarity. Children on a contested border wear hooded bulletproof vests to school; soldiers write haiku; professional clowns go to war; and the mother of a young soldier killed in battle uses his compensation money to create a rehabilitation centre for veterans. Roses bloom across Ukraine in quiet tribute to a florist and soldier killed in Avdiivka, remembered by those who once bought his flowers. In Pokrovsk, 7,500 residents refuse to leave a city that no longer exists - their homes obliterated but their will unbroken. And buried beneath a cherry tree, a murdered writer's final diary is recovered, a haunting echo of a silenced voice. From the home front to the trenches, Kurkov captures the rhythms of survival - the quiet rituals, joys, unexpected humour and appalling losses - in a very moving record of national endurance. Three Years on Fire is a luminous act of remembrance from a writer whose voice stands witness to everything Ukraine has lost - and everything it refuses to give up.

“A vivid, moving and sometimes funny account of the reality of life during Russia's invasion,” Marc Bennetts, The Times “Uplifting and utterly defiant,” Matt Nixson, Daily Express “No-one with the slightest interest in this war, or the nation on which it is being waged, should fail to read Andrey Kurkov,” Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail “For centuries, attempts have been made to force Ukrainians to forget their native language, to stop singing Ukrainian songs and to abandon their history. For almost 400 years, Russia has been fighting against Ukrainian identity.” Ten years on from the annexation of Crimea, two years on from Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people continue to fight back. In the second volume of his war diaries, Andrey Kurkov gives a fresh perspective on a people for whom resistance and solidarity have become a matter of survival. Our Daily War is a chronological record of the heterogeneous mix that comprises Ukrainian life and thought in the teeth of Russian aggression, from the constant stress of air raids, the deportation of citizens from the occupied regions and the whispers of governmental corruption to Christmas celebrations, crowdfunding and the recipe for a “trench candle”. Kurkov’s human’s-eye view on the war in Ukraine is by turns bitingly satirical, tragic, humorous and heartfelt. It is also, in the manner of Pepys, an invaluable insight into the history, politics and culture of Ukraine. Our Daily War is the ideal primer for anyone who would like to know what life is like in that country today. “Andrey Kurkov [is] one of the most articulate ambassadors to the West for the situation in his homeland,” Sam Leith, Spectator “Immediate and important … From the grim incredulity at Russians massing on the border to the displacement of millions of people, this is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary. It is also about survival, hope and humanity,” Helen Davies, The Times “Ukraine’s greatest novelist is fighting for his country,” Giles Harvey, New York Times “The author's on-the-ground account is packed with surprising details about the human effects of the Russian assault ... His voice is genial but also impassioned, never more so than when deploring Putin's efforts to erase Ukrainian culture and history. Ukraine, he says, "will either be free, independent and European, or it will not exist at all". That's why the war has to be fought, with no concession of territory. And he remains quietly hopeful that it will be won,” Blake Morrison, Guardian

Andrij Kurkov (nar. 1961 r.) - ukrajinskij pismennik, zhurnalist, kinostsenarist. Chlen Ukrajinskogo PEN-klubu ta pochesnij chlen PEN-klubu Belgiji. Pochesnij akademik Amerikanskoji Akademiji mistetstv i literaturi (Nju-Jork), Laureat natsionalnoji premiji "Medichi" (Frantsija) za kraschij inozemnij roman 2022 roku. Jogo tvori perekladeni 45 movami svitu, vkljuchno z japonskoju, arabskoju, tajskoju.Golovnij geroj romanu "Piknik na lodu" - zhurnalist Viktor Zolotarov - otrimuje nezvichajne zavdannja vid providnoji gazeti: pisati nekrologi pro vplivovikh ljudej, jaki poki scho zhivi. Postupovo vin usvidomljuje, scho z neoberezhnosti opinivsja vtjagnutim u skladnu gru tinovikh struktur. I teper jomu dovoditsja borotisja za te, schob prosto vizhiti. Ale situatsija uskladnjujetsja cherez pingvina na im'ja Mishko. Viktor zabrav jogo z Kijivskogo zooparku, tomu scho v nikh ne vistachalo groshej na goduvannja tvarin.U vidavnitstvi "Folio" takozh vijshli drukom knizhki A. Kurkova "Siri bdzholi", "Shengenska istorija", "Rizdvjanij sjurpriz", "Samson i Nadija", "Sertse - ne m'jaso", "Zakon ravlika".Perekladach Les Gerasimchuk

Samson Kolechko has been assigned a most perplexing case - though it is mostly perplexing because it's hard to understand why selling the meat of one's own pig constitutes a crime. But apparently it does, and at the insistence of the Chekist secret police officer assigned to "reinforce" the Lybid police station, Samson does his diligent - if diffident - best.Yet no sooner has he got started than his live-in fiancee Nadezhda is abducted by striking railway workers who object to the census she's carrying out. And when you factor in a mysterious thief in the police station itself, a deadly tram accident that may have been pre-meditated, and the potential reappearance of the culprit in the case of the silver bone, it's no wonder the "meat case" takes a back seat.But it is in the pursuit of that petty-fogging, seemingly mundane matter that Samson's fate lies - and Nadezhda's too, for the two are inextricably entwined.Translated from the Russian by Boris DralyukReviews for The Silver Bone - Longlisted for the International Booker Prize"Andrey Kurkov is often called Ukraine's greatest living writer, and it is a gift for crime fiction fans that he writes in this genre" New York Times"Wildly enjoyable . . . A glorious aural portrait of a city in dangerous flux . . . I finished The Silver Bone wishing to read more" Guardian

U kvitni 1919 roku zhittja v Kijevi ljakaje svojeju neperedbachuvanistju. Samsona Kolechko ta jogo tovarisha j spivrobitnika Sergija Kholodnogo vidpravljajut z'jasuvati pokhodzhennja kaljuzhi krovi pid dverima saraju na podvir'ji odnogo domovolodinnja v Puschi-Voditsi. Nove rozsliduvannja ne viklikaje v Samsona entuziazmu, osoblivo z ogljadu na nespodivane vikradennja Nadiji kijivskimi zaliznichnikami pid chas vikonannja neju zavdannja gubstatbjuro. Na dopomogu Samsonu znenatska prikhodjat znajomi kitajski chervonoarmijtsi, chim privertajut do sebe nebezpechnu uvagu z boku CHK."Sertse - ne m'jaso" - prodovzhennja romanu "Samson i Nadija". U nomu opisano jak istorichni protsesi, tak i kriminalni podiji, scho vidbuvalis u Kijevi v ljutomu - kvitni 1919 roku.Perekladach Viktor Bojko

Kniga Andrija Kurkova "Schodennik vijni 2" - tse zbirka esejiv, napisanikh v period iz serpnja 2022 roku do kintsja zhovtnja 2023 roku i roztashovanikh za khronologijeju. Podiji, scho vidbuvalisja v ti dni v Ukrajini ta sviti, sponukali pismennika osmisliti jikh i, propustivshi cherez prizmu osobistogo bachennja, predstaviti chitacham.U toj samij chas, vidklavshi napisannja novogo romanu, vidomij u sviti pismennik Andrij Kurkov virushaje za kordon rozpovidati svojim chitacham v inshikh krajinakh pro ukrajintsiv, ukrajinsku kulturu ta mentalnist. "Vijna vidpravila mene v neskinchennu podorozh svitom... Ja - brodjachij ukrajinskij pismennik, jakij rozpovidaje u desjatkakh krajin Jevropi ta u SSHA pro te, scho vidbuvajetsja na mojij batkivschini, v Ukrajini, - pishe Kurkov v odnomu z esejiv. - Ja namagajusja pojasniti prichini stijkosti ukrajinskogo narodu u vijni proti velicheznoji armiji velicheznoji imperiji".

All that stands between one man and murder by the mafia is a 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 tragicomic masterpiece’ Daily Telegraph‘A black comedy of rare distinction and the penguin is an invention of genius’ SpectatorWITH A FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR

Rannoju vesnoju 1919 roku u Samsona Kolechka pid chas vulichnogo pogromu kozaki zarubali batka, jomu samomu vidtjali vukho. U Kijevi zavorushennja, misto znovu zakhoplene bilshovikami, ale voni majzhe ne kontroljujut situatsiju. Gorodjan grabujut spravzhni i falshivi chervonoarmijtsi, po okolitsjakh Kijeva raz po razu gospodarjujut bandi vsiljakikh otamaniv - Zelenogo, Grigor'jeva, Struka... Vizhivati staje vse skladnishe. Za zbigom divnikh obstavin - zavdjaki pismovomu stolu pokijnogo batka - Samsona Kolechka berut na sluzhbu do militsiji. Tsja sprava dlja nogo absoljutno nova, prote, vin odrazu pochinaje rozsliduvati zlochini - ti, scho zdijsnjujut chervonoarmijtsi, jaki v nogo oselilisja. Rozsliduvannja Samsona prizvodjat do absoljutno neperedbachuvanikh naslidkiv...Suchasnij ukrajinskij pismennik i odin z najbilsh tsikavikh i proslavlenikh dijachiv suchasnogo ukrajinskogo literaturnogo protsesu. Vsi knigi Andrija Kurkova vidriznjajutsja jaskravimi personazhami i poglinajuchimi, zakhopljujuchimi sjuzhetami. Za stsenarijami tsogo pismennika stvoreno visim kinofilmiv, a v 2014 rotsi vin buv nagorodzhenij Ordenom Pochesnogo legionu Frantsiji. Kupiti knigi Andrija Kurkova varto vsim potsinovuvacham jakisnoji suchasnoji literaturi. Jogo tvori perekladeni na 36 mov svitu.

"Both a pleasure and a testament to life in Ukraine, before" Sunday Times"Ukraine's greatest living novelist" New European"A Ukrainian Murakami" GuardianA love letter to the beautiful city of Lviv, by the author of Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees.Strange things are afoot in the cosmopolitan city of Lviv, western Ukraine. Seagulls are circling and the air smells salty, though Lviv is a long way from the sea . . . A ragtag group gathers round a mysterious grave in Lychakiv Cemetery - among them an ex-KGB officer and an ageing hippy he used to spy on. Before long, Captain Ryabtsev and Alik Olisevych are teaming up to discover the source of the "anomalies".Meanwhile, Taras ­- who makes a living driving kidney-stone patients over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra - is courting Darka, who works nights at a bureau de change despite being allergic to money.The young lovers don't know it, but their fate depends on two lonely old men, relics of another era, who will stop at nothing to save their city. Shot through with Kurkov's unique brand of black humour and vodka-fuelled magic realism, Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv is an affectionate portrait one the world's most intriguing cities.Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley

'Uplifting and utterly defiant' Matt Nixson, Daily Express 'Immediate and important ... This is an insider's account of how an ordinary life became extraordinary' Helen Davies, The Times'At first we did not understand what war was. You can't understand it until you see it and hear it.'As Russian forces build up beyond the Ukrainian borders and the prospect of war becomes a devastating reality, Andrey Kurkov chronicles the shocking impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Part political and historical commentary, part personal journal, Kurkov explores the fraught interrelation of Russian and Ukrainian history, the complicated coexistence of their languages, and in describing how a peaceful society defies occupation, the author builds an image of a culture which, contrary to Putin's claims, is unique and democratic, liberal and diverse, one that will 'resist to the end'.Redirecting his satirical flair to paint a defiant portrait of his compatriots, Kurkov tells of a people united against erasure. Bread is baked and shared in the ruins. An amputee is carried aboard an evacuating train, grandmothers escape occupied towns with their noisome roosters. And despite the networks of toloka, of community work for common good, being stretched to breaking point, and the embittering reticence of some European nations to make good their promises of aid and armaments, hope channels its perennial resistance: children are born deep within besieged cities and farmers go on working the fields made lethal by unexploded shells. Kurkov braids his personal story with those of other displaced Ukrainians and the communities that have gone to extraordinary lengths to care for them. Showing an irrepressible spirit, they 'wait for the moment when it will be safe to return,' he writes, 'just as I am waiting.'

"Ukraine's greatest living novelist" New European"A Ukrainian Murakami" GuardianA hugely entertaining romp through the beautiful city of Lviv, by the author of Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, now reporting widely on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his home country.Strange things are happening in the cosmopolitan town of Lviv, western Ukraine. Seagulls are circling and the air smells salty, though Lviv is a long way from the sea . . .A group of ageing hippies meets at the cemetery in the middle of the night, gathered around a mysterious grave. Among them the ex-KGB officer who means to apologise to all those he spied on; the woman who is allergic to banknotes, and yet works at the money exchange; and Taras, who makes a living driving at top speed over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra, curing paying passengers of their kidney stones.Kurkov's novels are often populated by lonely people going through difficult times, and by his own brand of black humour combined with magic realism (occasionally vodka-fuelled). All those ingredients are found in Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv.Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley

"Both a pleasure and a testament to life in Ukraine, before" Sunday Times"Ukraine's greatest living novelist" New European"A Ukrainian Murakami" GuardianA love letter to the beautiful city of Lviv, by the author of Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees.Strange things are afoot in the cosmopolitan city of Lviv, western Ukraine. Seagulls are circling and the air smells salty, though Lviv is a long way from the sea . . . A ragtag group gathers round a mysterious grave in Lychakiv Cemetery - among them an ex-KGB officer and an ageing hippy he used to spy on. Before long, Captain Ryabtsev and Alik Olisevych are teaming up to discover the source of the "anomalies".Meanwhile, Taras ­- who makes a living driving kidney-stone patients over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra - is courting Darka, who works nights at a bureau de change despite being allergic to money.The young lovers don't know it, but their fate depends on two lonely old men, relics of another era, who will stop at nothing to save their city. Shot through with Kurkov's unique brand of black humour and vodka-fuelled magic realism, Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv is an affectionate portrait one the world's most intriguing cities.Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley

This journal of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine is a collection of Andrey Kurkov's writings and broadcasts from Kyiv.