In the modern masterpiece, Death and the Penguin, Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov explored the woes of Ukraine through the mournful eyes of Misha, a lonely penguin saved from Kiev zoo by well-meaning writer Viktor. He returns with The Bickford Fuse, a powerful satire of Soviet Russia, written in the final days of Communism and recently translated into English. Following a disparate collection of wanderers – one bearing an explosive gift – it blends real events with allegory and fable and has been compared to the works of Bulgakov, Vonnegut and Heller. Kurkov is one of the finest writers on the post-Soviet world – this is a rare chance to hear him speak about his craft. Andrey will be in conversation with Lea Sellers. Language: English