Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny wrote an autobiography earlier than he died which might be revealed later this 12 months, his widow Yulia Navalnaya stated on Thursday, revealing the existence of a textual content solely his internal circle had identified existed.
Navalny, who died aged 47 in an Arctic jail in February, had wished to turn out to be president of Russia and was Vladimir Putin’s fiercest home critic. His allies, branded extremists by the authorities, have accused Putin of getting him murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his demise.
Navalnaya, his widow, stated in a submit on X from exterior Russia that her late husband had began to put in writing the memoir – titled “Patriot” – in 2020 after he had been poisoned by what Western medical doctors stated was a nerve agent and had been evacuated to Germany for medical therapy.
She stated the guide can be launched concurrently in not less than 11 totally different languages on Oct. 22 and seem in Navalny’s native Russian.
“This isn’t in any respect how I imagined Alexei would write his biography. I assumed that we’d be in our 80s, and that he can be sitting at his pc by the open window and be typing away,” Navalnaya stated.
“However issues turned out the way in which they did. Horribly and really, very unfairly. However, Alexei began writing a guide at the moment (in 2020) and was unexpectedly shortly drawn into the method.
He appreciated to recall the occasions of his life in reference to occasions within the nation. For instance, he loved describing his childhood,” Navalnaya stated.
‘Now the secrets and techniques are over’
Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, described how Navalny had begun to dictate elements of the guide to her whereas he was convalescing in Germany two months after his poisoning and that he had completed the guide when in jail after returning to Russia in 2021.
“Alexei had a uncommon expertise of being immediately capable of pronounce written textual content. My job was to maintain up with him and infrequently interject: “you simply used that very same phrase just lately!” Yarmysh wrote on the Telegram messenger service.
“I heard folks speaking about his posts from jail: ‘Alexei writes so effectively, I want he’d write a guide!’ And I wished to clap my palms and shout, ‘He’s writing one! He’s writing one!’ However we agreed to maintain all the things a secret. Now the secrets and techniques are over,” she stated.
Penguin Books UK in a press release on X described the guide because the “full story of Navalny’s life and a rousing name to proceed the work for which he sacrificed his life.”
The autobiography is being revealed in america by Knopf.
The guide is unlikely to be available in Navalny’s native Russia, the place the authorities outlawed his motion as extremist and solid his supporters as US-backed troublemakers out to foment revolution.
Putin final month known as Navalny’s demise “unhappy” and stated he had agreed handy the jailed politician over to the West in a prisoner change supplied he by no means return to Russia.
