Key facts
- Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was imprisoned in Russia for over a year.
- His memoir, "This Cursed Beautiful Land," details his experience as a political prisoner.
- The book is described as a "taut thriller" and a "love letter" to Russia.
- Gershkovich was falsely arrested for espionage by Putin's FSB.
Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned in Russia for over a year, has released his memoir, "This Cursed Beautiful Land." The book offers an intimate first-person account of his experience as a political prisoner and a pawn in geopolitical negotiations.
The memoir has been widely anticipated and praised by various authors and media personalities. Patrick Radden Keefe described it as "propulsive and astutely observed," going beyond a simple captivity narrative to become a "rousing tribute to the beauty and importance of old-fashioned journalism" and a "taut thriller of high stakes ‘hostage diplomacy.’" Jon Stewart lauded its "beautiful writing," while George Stephanopoulos recommended it highly on "Good Morning America," calling it a "great story."
Gershkovich's account details his journey through what is described as a "Kafka-esque justice system" after being falsely arrested for espionage by Putin's FSB. Anthony Doerr noted that the book is "sometimes funny, frequently harrowing, always illuminating," and a "prison memoir that doubles as a love letter" not to the dictatorship, but to the Russia beneath it, including its language, landscape, literature, and people. Erik Larson suggested that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would be applauding the book's depiction of Russia's descent into autocracy. Radhika Jones highlighted Gershkovich's use of his reportorial skills to chronicle his ordeal and his profound understanding of Russian history and the effects of prison on individuals.