A collection of wartime speeches written by Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be published on Dec. 6, featuring an introduction by the Ukrainian president.
Crown, a Penguin Random House division, announced on Monday that the book will be called “A Message from Ukraine” and will include a preface written by Arkady Ostrovsky, the Economist’s editor for Russia and Eastern Europe.
In a statement released by Crown, Zelenskyy said that supporting Ukraine is not merely a trend, meme or challenge. “It is not a force to rapidly spread across the planet and then just as rapidly disappear,” he said. “If you want to understand who we are, where we are from, what we want, and where we are going, you need to learn more about who we are. This book will help you do just that.”
Calling the book “Ukraine’s story through the words of its president,” Crown said the title is “the story of a nation valiantly defending itself from Russian aggression, and of a people leading the world in the struggle for democracy. At the same time, it is a battle cry for the world to speak out and fight for liberty. If not now, when?”
Before being elected in 2019, Zelenskyy was an actor, comedian and licensed lawyer. While studying law in college, he became very active in theater, which became his primary focus.
In 1977, Zelenskyy’s performance group, Kvartal 95, appeared in a popular improvisational comedy competition called KVN. Kvartal 95 appeared on KVN until 2003.
Zelenskyy went on to co-found Studio Kvartal 95, a production company that would later become one of Ukraine’s most successful and prolific entertainment studios. From the company’s creation to 2011, Zelenskyy served as the artistic director until he became the general producer of the Ukrainian television channel Inter TV.
On April 21, 2019, Zelenskyy was elected as president of Ukraine and sworn in on May 20, 2019.
Zelenskyy plans to give all proceeds made from this book to United24, the initiative he launched to coordinate charitable donations to Ukraine. The money will help cover their most pressing needs.
He has chosen 16 speeches to include in his book to help readers understand Ukraine and Ukrainians better. “The 144-page book has a plain cover in the colors of Ukraine’s flag — bright blue and yellow —and it is already available for pre-order from the publisher and nine major online sources — including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart,” according to Washington Times.
