On the eve of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Crown has announced that it will be publishing A Message from Ukraine by president Volodymyr Zelensky. The title is set to be released globally by the imprint’s parent company, Penguin Random House, on December 6, when it will be published simultaneously in the U.K., Germany, Spain, and Portugal.
The book by the Ukrainian president, which Crown took North American rights to, is a collection of 16 of the author’s war speeches, chosen, Crown said, “to explore Ukraine’s journey since 2019.” The title includes an introduction by Zelensky and a preface by the Economist’s Russia and Eastern Europe editor Arkady Ostrovsky.
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?”
All of Zelensky’s proceeds from the book will go to his initiative to collection donations supporting Ukraine, United24.
“Since my inauguration in May 2019, I have delivered about 1,000 different addresses around the world. I have selected the 16 speeches in this book because they will help you understand Ukrainians: our aspirations, our principles, and our values. Above all, it will help you hear our message to the world: that we are a free and independent people, and that we will not stop resisting until the last Russian troop has left our territory.”
