A memoir written by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the final years of his life will be published in the fall, according to a report.
The work titled Patriot will be published by Knopf in the U.S. on Oct. 22, with a representative for the publishing house confirming to The New York Times that a Russian-language version of the book will also be available. Navalny’s widow said the book serves as one last act of defiance following her husband’s death in an Arctic penal colony in February.
“This book is a testament not only to Aleksei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship—a fight he gave everything for, including his life,” Yulia Navalnaya said.
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“Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply—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 to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.”
Navalny started working on the memoir in 2020 as he recovered from an assassination attempt using the nerve agent Novichok. But he also continued working on the book after his arrest in 2021 and subsequent imprisonment. The finished work will include previously unseen prison correspondence, the publisher told the Times.
The cause of Navalny’s death at the age of 47 remains officially unexplained, though his allies say that his mother was shown a death certificate which claimed he died of “natural causes.”
Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, announced Wednesday that Russian authorities have extended until April 20 the deadline for a preliminary probe into Navalny’s death.
