''Penguin Lost'' is a novel by

Andrey Kurkov Andrii Yuriyovych Kurkov (, ; born 23 April 1961) is a Ukrainian author and public intellectual who writes in Russian and Ukrainian. He is the author of 19 novels, including the bestselling '' Death and the Penguin'', nine books for children, a ...

. Originally published in 2005 in Russian (as ''Закон улитки'', ), it was translated by George Bird and published in English in 2010. It is the sequel to the author's novel '' Death and the Penguin''.

Summary

The novel follows the life of a writer, Viktor Alekseyevich Zolotaryov, in a struggling

post-Soviet The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

society. Fleeing from the mafia to the Faraday Station in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, Viktor passes some time in a polar research station, before returning to

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

with a new identity. Back in Ukraine and needing a job, he starts work on the election campaign for a Mafia boss. In return he is given information as to the whereabouts of Misha, his pet penguin, which is said to be in a zoo in

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

. Thus begins another journey, this time across the former Soviet Union, in pursuit of his beloved pet. The original Russian-language title of the book, ''The Snail Law'', refers to the Mafia boss' saying that every person should have his or her own shell (that is, a protecting mob group) and he / she is alive only as long as the "shell" is not lost. '' The Complete Review'' said of the novel:

References

External links

Michel Faber Michel Faber (born 13 April 1960) is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel ''The Crimson Petal and the White'', and '' Under the Skin'' (2000) which was adapted for film by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett ...

"The bird has flown"
Review in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 20 March 2004. * Lesley Chamberlain
"Penguin Lost, by Andrey Kurkov, trans. George Bird"
Review in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 16 April 2004. 1997 novels Russian satirical novels Books about penguins Novels by Andrey Kurkov 2005 Russian novels Novels set in Kyiv {{1990s-satirical-novel-stub