Andrey Kurkov, the renowned Ukrainian author of Grey Bees and president of PEN Ukraine, gave the opening keynote address at the U.S. Book Show. With a theme of writing and publishing in time of war, Kurkov opened the virtual trade book fair in conversation with Edward Nawotka, Publishers Weekly’s international editor. The opening keynote took place in English.
“Andrey Kurkov’s work has always been visionary and is as relevant now as it has ever been. He offers the world a poignant view of life in Ukraine,” said Nawotka. “His work is darkly humorous in a way that only an observer with Kurkov’s global understanding—and bird’s-eye view—could provide.”
Andrey Kurkov is the author of 19 novels, a dozen of which have been translated into English, nine children’s books and 20 movie and television scripts, Kurkov became known on the world stage with his international bestseller Death and the Penguin, a bleak portrait of post-Soviet Ukraine. The English translation was published in 2001, and since then the book has been translated into 30+ languages. He was elected president of PEN Ukraine in 2018 and on May 13, 2022 delivers PEN America’s annual Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture. He will also participate in its Emergency World Voices Congress as part of the 2022 PEN World Voices Festival (May 11-14)