Memoirs of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, who died in detention on February 16 in circumstances that remained opaque, will be published on October 22, 2024, the American publisher Knopf announced on Thursday April 11 in a press release.
“This book bears witness not only to Alexei’s life, but also to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship, a fight for which he gave everything, including his own life,” says his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, in the press release.
According to the publisher Knopf, Mr. Navalny, who died at 47, began writing Patriot (the title of the book in English) shortly after his poisoning in 2020. A version in Russian is also planned. The Memoirs contains “unpublished correspondence” from his prison, a penal colony known to be among the most grueling in the Russian Arctic, the publisher adds.
“Written with the passion, wit, candor and courage that earned him the acclaim he deserved, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of the final years he spent in the most brutal prison in the world, a reminder of why the principles of individual liberty are so important, and a vibrant call for freedom,” adds Knopf. Rights have already been sold worldwide and the publisher plans to print 500,000 copies initially.