NEW YORK – Russian opposition leader and Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator Vladimir Kara-Murza is set to release a new book titled “One Day Free” in the spring of 2024. This book, described by Kara-Murza as both a personal testimony and a historical chronicle, reflects on life in Russia over the last 25 years under President Vladimir Putin.
Public Affairs, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, announced on Wednesday that “One Day Free” will be published on May 18, 2024. In this work, Kara-Murza plans to provide a deep dive into Putin’s governance, discussing not only the impacts on ordinary Russians but also examining the roles played by individuals in both Russia and the West who have supported or resisted his regime.
Kara-Murza, who is 45 years old, has made headlines as an activist, journalist, and filmmaker. He was arrested in 2022 after publicly opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequently faced a 25-year prison sentence. He was released in 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange and now resides in the United States, where he is the vice president of the Free Russia Foundation, a non-governmental organization advocating for democracy in Russia.
During his time in prison, Kara-Murza was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for commentary for his columns in The Washington Post. His resilience is notable; he endured 11 months in solitary confinement in Siberia and survived two poisoning attempts, which he attributes to Russian state officials.
Despite the challenges he has faced, Kara-Murza remains hopeful about Russia’s future. He expressed optimism by stating, “History knows many examples of once-terrifying tyrannies becoming peaceful civilized democracies — and no nation in the world is ever ‘destined’ to unfreedom.” This perspective demonstrates his belief in the potential for change in his homeland.
The announcement about his book has been updated to clarify that Kara-Murza is vice president of the Free Russia Foundation, not vice-chairman of Open Russia, ensuring accurate representation of his current role in the fight for democracy.
