The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.
June’s Book of the month is:
Patriot
Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel
The Bodley Head, 2024
Shelfmark: DK510.766.N38.NAV 2024
June’s book of the month is Patriot, the autobiography of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny died in an Arctic Russian prison in February 2024: he was probably murdered by the prison authorities, under the orders of Vladimir Putin. As his prison diary shows, his determination, humour and faith were unconquerable.
Book Overview
Navalny was arrested on his return to Russia in January 2021, after his recovery from an attempted poisoning in August 2020: he had not even stepped out of the aeroplane. Patriot consists of Navalny’s autobiographical writings in prison, his social media posts, and other short texts. Navalny himself describes it as “Gonzo journalism”: nothing else was possible under the circumstances. The prison regimes became more and more severe as time went on, until Navalny was confined almost permanently to a punishment cell.
The book contains humorous and incisive accounts of the late Soviet Union, Perestroika, and Russian political life in the 2000s and 2010s, as Navalny describes his experiences. He is a larger-than-life figure as much because of what was done to him, as because of his own responses. In 2017 he was sprayed green; his organisation’s offices were frequently raided, once apparently by sex workers; in 2020 government agents attempted to murder him by painting nerve agent on his underwear. He and his colleagues in the Foundation Battling Corruption demonstrated the corruption of Russia’s politicians to the population in detailed and colourful YouTube videos, which seem to have turned him into Putin’s personal enemy.
Navalny is a controversial figure within liberal western circles, as well as in the Russian Federation: he developed a connection with Russian nationalist movements in the 2000s, which he was later to drop. His determination to fight for Russia’s political freedom at whatever personal cost however testifies to the unique character he became.
Reviews
Luke Harding (Guardian, October 22 2024, 7.30 am GMT):
“This is a brave and brilliant book, a luminous account of Navalny’s life and dark times. It is a challenge from beyond the grave to Russia’s murder-addicted rulers. You can hear his voice in the deft translation by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel: sharp, playful and lacking in self-pity. Nothing crushes him. Up until the end – his final “polar” entry is on 17 January 2024 – he radiates indomitable good humour.”
Patriot won the category for Narrative Non-Fiction and the overall Book of the Year Award at The Nibbies, the annual British book trade awards.
How can I access it?
You can currently find this book around the corner from our Issue Desk, above our New Books display. This title is loanable for University card holders. Its shelfmark is DK510.766.N38.NAV 2024
What would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.