ABEJAS GRISES

u003cbu003eEl nuevo libro del aclamado autor de «Muerte con pingüino»u003cbru003eu003cbru003eLa conmovedora odisea de un apicultor entre dos bandos de la guerra, por Andréi Kurkov, «un Bulgákov contemporáneo. [...] Un Murakami ucraniano» (u003ciu003eThe Guardianu003c/iu003e), «un Kafka postsoviético» (u003ciu003eDaily Telegraphu003c/iu003e), «todo un clásico» (u003ciu003eEl Paísu003c/iu003e) traducido en sesenta y cinco países.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003c/bu003eEn Malaia Starogradovka, un pueblo de apenas tres calles en la zona gris  de Ucrania, la tierra de nadie disputada en 2014 entre las  fuerzas  ucranianas y los separatistas prorrusos, solo quedan dos residentes:  Serguéi Sergueich, inspector de seguridad retirado convertido en  apicultor, y Pashka Jmelenko, amigo y rival suyo desde sus días de  escuela. Sin electricidad, con poca comida y con la constante amenaza de  los bombardeos, el único placer que le queda a Sergueich son sus abejas, adormiladas por el invierno. Con la llegada de la primavera, tendrá que  alejarlas de la zona gris para que puedan recolectar su polen en paz,  una misión que lo llevará a conocer a combatientes y civiles de ambos  lados de la línea de batalla. Su bondad y su impecable brújula moral  irán desarmando a todos los que se crucen en su camino, convirtiendo la  salvación de sus abejas en una metáfora sobre la vida en tiempos de guerra.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003cbu003eENGLISH DESCRIPTIONu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eUkraine's most famous novelist dramatizes the conflict raging in his country through the adventures of a mild-mannered beekeeper. From the author of the bestselling Death and the Penguin.u003cbru003eu003cbru003e"A latter-day Bulgakov . . . A Ukrainian Murakami" -Phoebe Taplin,Guardianu003cbru003eu003cbru003eLittle Starhorodivka, a village of three streets, lies in Ukraine's Grey Zone, the no-man's-land between loyalist and separatist forces. Thanks to the lukewarm war of sporadic violence and constant propaganda that has been dragging on for years,only two residents remain: retired safety inspector turned beekeeper Sergey Sergeyich and Pashka, a "frenemy" from his schooldays.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eWith little food and no electricity, under ever-present threat of bombardment, Sergeyich's one remaining pleasure is his bees. As spring approaches, he knows he must take them far from the Grey Zone so they can collect their pollen in peace. This simple mission on their behalf introduces him to combatants and civilians on both sides of the battle lines: loyalists, separatists, Russian occupiers, and Crimean Tatars. Wherever he goes, Sergeyich's childlike simplicity and strong moral compass disarm everyone he meets.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eBut could these qualities be manipulated to serve an unworthy cause, spelling disaster for him, his bees, and his country?u003cbru003eu003cbru003eGrey Bees is as timely as the author's Ukraine Diaries were in 2014, but treats the unfolding crisis in a more imaginative way, with a pinch of Kurkov's signature humor. Who better than Ukraine's most famous novelist -who writes in Russian -toilluminate and present a balanced portrait of this most bewildering of modern conflicts?