This thrilling memoir documents the early life of Russian journalist and human rights activist Alexander Podrabinek as he and other dissidents fearlessly fought against the Soviet Union. Between Prison and Freedom chronicles Alexander Podrabinek's deeply personal recollections of his early life fearlessly opposing the injustices of the Soviet Union. He vividly describes his turbulent journey from silently protesting at Pushkin Square as a teenager to his exile in a brutal prison camp for publishing Punitive Medicine. Between Prison and Freedom is a powerful tribute to the Russian dissidents, desperately loyal to their country and to each other, as they fought for freedom and justice, all while cunningly evading the KGB's nearly successful efforts to break-or kill-them. Through his personal experiences, the dissident reality unfolds as an onslaught of surveillance and false accusations, corrective labor camps and exile, and a consistent disregard for basic human freedoms. In this captivating story about standing against tyranny, Podrabinek captures the spirit of the dissident movement, the painful intersections between personal and political in a dissident's life, and the solidarity that kept the resistance moving forward.
Alexander Podrabinek is a Russian journalist, dissident, human rights activist, and commentator. He is the author of Punitive Medicine, which details the Soviet Union's use of psychiatric hospitals against political prisoners. He remains an active writer and commentator covering Russian political and social affairs. Marian Schwartz is a prizewinning translator of Russian fiction and nonfiction, including works by Nina Berberova, Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Shishkin, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. David Satter is an American journalist and historian who writes about Russia and the Soviet Union. He has authored books and articles about the decline and fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of post-Soviet Russia.
Part 1. 1. How to Quit Smoking and Start Writing Your Memoirs 2. Childhood 3. Pushkin Square 4. Elektrostal 5. Moscow 6. A Man of Freedom 7.The Moscow Day-to-Day 8. Three Comrades 9. Ladies from the Last Century 10. The Writing Itch 11. Impatience 12. From Illusions to Reality 13. Psychiatry: First Steps 14. Do You Recognize Your Brother Sasha?" 15. 1977. Tallin. New Year's 16. The Belyaevsky Triangle 17. Our Answer to Chamberlain 18. Journey to Siberia 19. The Empire Strikes Back 20. West--East 21. Cherchez la femme 22. Dress Rehearsal 23. Farewell to Arms! 24. The Art of the Interrogation 25. Correspondents and Diplomats 26. "Ambulance" 27. In the KGB's Cross-Hairs 28. No One Wanted to Leave 29. "Tailed" 30. First Test 31. Hostages 32. Moment of Weakness 33. Our Man in the KGB 34. The Working Commission 35. My Last Few Days Part 2. 36. Matrosskaya Tishina 37. Young Children 38. Investigation Trial 39. Krasnaya Presnya 40. Long-Distance Journey 41. Chuna 42. Barmakon 43. Honeymoon 44. The Pole of Cold 45. Yakutia Prison 46. Death Row 47. Idiotic Investigation 48. Eros Watches/Wide-Awake 49. Difficulties of Legal/Judicial Proceedings 50. Once Again, a Trial 51. Bolshaya Markha 52. Labor Is a Matter of Honor, Courage, and Heroism 53. A Prison Within a Prison 54. Criminals 55. "Only on the Green" 56. Rock-busting 57. Solitude Hunger 58. Cold Dreams 59. Another Moment of Weakness 60. Stooges 61. Tuberculosis 62. The Infirmary 63. Driven from Paradise 64. Pleasant Prison Camp Life 65. Final Round 66. Ode to the Quilted Vest/Jacket 67. Tempted by Freedom
"No one is more qualified than Alexander Podrabinek to explain how the dissident movement functioned and what repressive measures the Soviet regime took to suppress it." -Mark G. Pomar, author of Cold War Radio "A gripping and honest story of a man who challenged the totalitarian system, and when faced with the choice between his own well-being and his sense of civic dignity, chose in favor of the latter. His story serves as an important reminder that the path to democracy lies in each individual's awareness of responsibility for the society in which he or she lives and the willingness to accept that responsibility, whatever the cost." -Maxim Krupskiy, University of Illinois College of Law "Alexander Podrabinek was one of the most courageous young men in the Soviet Union. He refused to accept injustice and was imprisoned for his book about the persecution of dissidents. In his fascinating memoirs, he tells how one can be a free man and resist even in the most ruthless, lawless society." -Dmitry Volchek, correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty "This self-portrait of a dissident who took on one of the darkest aspects of Soviet repression is more than a profile in courage; it's a colorful, often funny read that keeps the pages turning. With neo-Soviet authoritarianism again choking Russia and now also posing an existential threat to Western liberal democracy, Alexander Podrabinek's account of his activism and imprisonment couldn't be more timely." -Gregory Feifer, author of Russians, former NPR Moscow bureau chief "Between Prison and Freedom is the story of Alexander Podrabinek's quiet, dogged resistance to the repressive Soviet system and the people he met along the way-not just fellow dissidents and prison inmates, but doctors, snitches, landlords, Western journalists, and KGB operatives. We are lucky that his translator is Marian Schwartz, who makes this alien world of Soviet life and prison camps accessible and lets the author's humanity, tenacity, and unshakable sense of humor shine through." -Michele A. Berdy, contributing editor for the Moscow Times
