Brimming with back humour and sly magic realism, this tantalising novel from the Ukrainian maestro and author of Death and the Penguin follows a group of Lviv misfits who come together to investigate ‘anomalies’ that baffle the city.
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
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781529427837
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 291 g
Dimensions: 192 x 130 x 28 mm
Playful and ebullient, shot through with magical twists and supernatural turns . . . A reminder of Kurkov's prodigious storytelling gifts and a throwback to an earlier, happier age - Observer
This beguiling literary postcard from a recent, now supplanted past brims with the bittersweet charm and rueful satire of the books, such as Death and the Penguin, that established Kurkov's international reputation - Financial Times
Both a pleasure and a testament to life in Ukraine, before - David Sexton, Sunday Times
Entertaining and poignant . . . A multi-layered, Chagal-like picture of modern-day Ukraine. - Glasgow Herald
A craftily constructed novel that undermines and transforms itself in a consistently enjoyable manner without the haze of purple prose. - Irish Times
Charming . . . A love letter to Lviv, Ukraine's linguistic and cultural capital - Guardian
The characters are lovingly drawn and exude the sort of warmth with which the author imbues all of his creations. You enjoy the time spent in their company - The Times
Kurkov draws us with deceptive ease into a dense complex world full of wonderful characters - Michael Palin
A latter-day Bulgakov . . . A Ukrainian Murakami - Guardian
A post-Soviet Kafka - Daily Telegraph
A kind of Ukrainian Kurt Vonnegut - Spectator
Ukraine's greatest living novelist New European - New European
First, pointing out that, despite its title, this book has very little to do with Jimi Hendrix. One of his hands is allegedly buried in a cemetery in Lviv and every year, on his birthday, a group of ageing hippies... More
A wonderfully weird and wholesome story about an ex-KGB officer, the hippie he used to follow, Taras (who drives kidney stone patients around on cobbled streets), his love Darka (who's allergic to money) and his... More
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