Alexei Navalny, Russia’s leading dissident, died last February, imprisoned in the Arctic Circle. His posthumously published memoir is an exhilarating read. With an eye on pending tragedy, he lovingly writes of family, doubles down on faith and celebrates the quotidian. He also delivers a stinging indictment of autocracy while embracing Hogwarts and Middle Earth.
“When I am asked what it’s like to die from a chemical weapon, two associations come to mind: the Dementors in Harry Potter and the Nazgûl in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings,” Navalny writes of his novichok poisoning in 2020 – carried out on the orders of Vladimir Putin.
