NEW YORK — A memoir that Alexei Navalny began working on in 2020 will be published this fall. “Patriot,” which publisher Alfred A. Knopf calls the late Russian opposition leader’s “last letter to the world,” will be released Oct. 22.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said in a statement released by the publisher on Thursday: “This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but also to his unwavering commitment to the fight against the dictatorship – a fight for which he did everything gave, including his life. Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved dearly – a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory, but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and never lose sight of the values that really matter.”
Navalny, 47, died in February while serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges that he condemned as politically motivated. He was imprisoned after returning from Germany in January 2021 and died in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle.
According to Knopf, Navalny began working on the book in Germany and continued writing it in Russia, both inside and outside prison.
“In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life and the lives of those closest to him, and the brutal campaign that he and his team fought against an increasingly dictatorial regime,” Knopf’s announcement reads in part.
“Written with the passion, humor, candor and courage for which he was rightly praised, ‘Patriot’ is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his final years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom are so important; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.”