News | Penguin Random House | London/New York/Barcelona/Munich, 10/18/2022

‘A Message from Ukraine’ By Volodymyr Zelensky

This autumn, starting November 24, Penguin Random House will publish “A Message from Ukraine” by Volodymyr Zelensky in all its markets. The book includes sixteen speeches personally selected by the Ukrainian president to explore Ukraine’s journey since 2019. Penguin Random House calls the work a “battle cry for liberty.”

A “battle cry for liberty” is what Penguin Random House is calling the book “Message from Ukraine” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which Bertelsmann’s book division will publish in all its markets worldwide in November and December. According to Siedler-Verlag, which will release the German version on December 5, it is “a stirring call to the world to support Ukraine and defend democracy.” Hutchinson Heinemann, a Penguin Random House UK publisher, has acquired world rights to “A Message from Ukraine” for Penguin Random House. Hutchinson Heinemann will publish its edition of the work in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries on November 24, followed by Crown in the U.S. on December 6. A Spanish-language edition will be published by Debate, and a Portuguese-language edition by Vogais. Both are Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial publishers. Rights have already been sold in ten territories.

Bringing together a new introduction by Volodymyr Zelensky with his most powerful war speeches, “A Message from Ukraine” recounts Ukraine’s story through the words of its president. It is the story of a nation valiantly defending itself from Russian aggression. And it is the story of a people leading the world in the struggle for democracy. Above all, it is a battle cry for the world to speak out and fight for liberty. If not now, when? The book includes sixteen speeches that the President has personally selected to explore Ukraine’s journey since 2019, as well as a stirring introduction in which he reflects on what he has learnt about himself and about Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. All the President’s proceeds from the book – amounting to at least 60p per copy of the print edition sold in the U.K. – will go to United24, his initiative to collect donations in support of Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Supporting Ukraine is not a trend, a meme or a viral challenge. It is not a force to rapidly spread across the planet and then just as rapidly disappear. If you want to understand 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. Since my inauguration in May 2019, I have delivered about 1,000 different addresses around the world. I have selected the sixteen speeches in this book because they will help you understand Ukrainians: our aspirations, our principles, and our values. Above all, this book will help you hear our message to the world: that we are a free and independent people, and that we will not stop fighting until the last Russian troop has left our territory.”

Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. Since February 2022, he has led Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s large-scale invasion. Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia and Eastern Europe editor of “The Economist,” was invited by Penguin Random House to write a preface explaining the context of the speeches and why they matter. “This book records how Ukraine has found its voice and its strength. The effects can be seen on the battlefields of the biggest war in Europe since 1945,” write Ostrovsky.

Rowan Borchers, Editorial Director at Hutchinson Heinemann, says: “Over the last seven months, President Zelensky’s speeches have become a rallying cry for everyone who cares about the future of democracy. It is the honor of a lifetime to help him share his message with the world.” Karen Guddas, Publishing Director of Siedler Verlag in Germany, adds: “The speeches Volodymyr Zelensky addresses to his people and the global public are a constant reminder to defend democracy and freedom. Siedler Verlag considers it a great honor to be able to help carry this message from Ukraine further into the world.”

At the invitation of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the European Publishers Association FEP, President Zelenskyj will address the book industry in Frankfurt digitally this coming Thursday, starting at 12:30 pm. The event, which is open to all Book Fair visitors, will take place in the “Harmonie” ballroom of the fair’s Congress Center.