PATRIOT

The only meaningful opposition to Putin until his death in a Russian prison in February 2024, Navalny recounts the turbulent events of his life and issues a clarion call to continue the struggle for change in this landmark memoir begun shortly after his near-fatal poisoning.

The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.

Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. It is the full story of his life: his youth, his call to activism, his marriage and family, his commitment to challenging a world super-power determined to silence him, and his total conviction that change cannot be resisted – and will come.

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 the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.

Written with the passion, wit, candour and bravery for which he was justly acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.

‘This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship – a fight he gave everything for, including his life. 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 honour his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.’ – Yulia Navalnaya

MEDIA REVIEWS

Charisma and courage still dazzle on every page. His voice is so vivid – fearless, playful, funny, clear-eyed – that while reading Patriot I kept finding myself forgetting he was dead - Decca Aitkenhead, Sunday Times

Extraordinary ... The late Russian activist’s memoir is an insightful, sharp, and even humorous account of fight against Putin’s regime – and a warning to the world … A brave and brilliant book - Luke Harding, Guardian Book of the Day*

A worthy testament to the author’s resistance to Putin and a heartbreaking account of Russia’s collapse into war and repression … [Patriot] is the best example left to us of Navalny’s defiance, courage, humour, and love for a country he believed could become 'the beautiful Russia of the future' - Financial Times

Funny, fiery, reflective and tragic, laced with Navalny’s trademark wry humour and idealism - Alexandra Alter, New York Times

Inspiring, emboldening – a voice that will not be forgotten - David Remnick, New Yorker

Powerful ... A brave, passionate and intimate read about everything from family to activism - i

Patriot, by the murdered Russian opposition leader, will be seen as a historic text … Its value lies not in what it tells you about the cruelties of Mr Putin’s regime, but in what it reveals about the human spirit - Economist This book is a gospel … impossible to stop reading ... [Navalny] is not going to be the political leader for future generations of Russians. But he might be the moral example – some kind of Russian messiah - Vanity Fair

Alexei Navalny never loses faith that his cause is worth suffering for … [Patriot] is a testament to a famed dissident's extraordinary battle against despair as the Russian authorities gradually increase their crackdown against him - Independent

[A] gripping posthumous account of Navalny’s long confrontation with Putin … Compelling, impressive - Telegraph

Remarkable … [Navalny] is the greatest political figure of his generation – the greatest president many Russians believe they never had … Patriot is less a memorial than a handbook on how to stand up to a bully … with humour and grace and without fear - Carole Cadwalladr, Observer, Book of the Week*

[Patriot is] part memoir, part diary, is a political manifesto, a darkly funny adieu and a posthumous indictment of his murderers. But it is also a poignant paean to reading and the solace of the written word for a man deprived of freedom - Ben Macintyre, The Times

Alexei Navalny was among the greatest, smartest, most charismatic and effective leaders that the Russian opposition has had ... Here we feel his bravery and great spirit - Owen Matthews, The Times

One might expect a work by an anti-corruption activist and political prisoner … to read like a righteous diatribe. It does not. Patriot reveals less about Navalny’s politics than it does about his fundamental decency, his wry sense of humour and his (mostly) cheery stoicism under conditions that would flatten a lesser person - David Kortova, New York Times

The memoir is a chance to commune with the mind of a dissident … shocking ... As a I read, I grieved, not just for Navalny the man, but for the idea of a person like him - Atlantic

Patriot is a plea to keep resisting Putin … Honest, full of penetrating wit and with a nice ear for mockery, [Navalny] wielded cheerfulness as a weapon and never lost faith that the right side must eventually prevail - Washington Post

Navalny writes with a fierce moral clarity … direct, precise and, in the face of unimaginable isolation, mordantly funny - New Yorker

Patriot is revealing – and devastating. We all know Navalny’s final chapter, which makes the descriptions of his treatment – and his courage in the face of it – even more poignant … In the end, Patriot is also a love story about two people fully committed to a cause they believe in - BBC News

Reads like a crime thriller ... you devour line after line about all that was hidden from the world at the time - Die Welt am Morgen

He was unyielding, so they had to break him. But still, Navalny shouts with a voices that makes the foundations of the Kremlin tremble - NRK

The testimony of an exceptional person, who can be characterised as a cheerful superhero and humorously gifted martyr - Kerstin Holm, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

[Patriot] is not only an autobiography, but also Navalny's last great reckoning with his enemy in the Kremlin - Tagesspiegel

A thoroughly political book - and at the same time it is a great love story - Friedrich Schmidt and Reinhard Veser, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

I read ever word of the book. I could not put it down ... incredibly moving - Rachel Maddow, in an interview with Yulia Navalnaya