Zelensky: A Biography

by Serhii Rudenko, Michael M. Naydan (Translator), Alla Perminova (Translator)

Overview

Three years after the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky was elected to Ukraine’s highest office, he found himself catapulted into the role of war-time leader.  The former comedian has become the public face of his country’s courageous and bloody struggle against a brutal invasion.  Zelensky’s extraordinary leadership in the face of Russia’s aggression is an inspiration to everyone who stands opposed to the appalling violence unleashed on Ukraine.  

This book – the first biography of Zelensky published in English – tells his astonishing story.  It has been revised and updated for this new paperback edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509556380
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	08/08/2022
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	1,064,185
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Serhii Rudenko is a Ukrainian journalist and political commentator who has published several books on Ukrainian politicians.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations vii

Preface: Zelensky's Political Oscar xi

1 Ten Assassination Attempts on President Zelensky 1

2 The Campaign for President 4

3 "Let It Be the Stadium Then!" 9

4 Zelensky and Forty-Two Million Presidents 13

5 Devirtualization of Servant of the People 17

6 A Mad Printer for the President 21

7 Trump's Impeachment 25

8 Vice-President Bohdan 29

9 The Cosmic Year of 1978 37

10 The Irreplaceable Yuliya Mendel 42

11 Look into the Eyes of Putin and … 46

12 The Amateur on an Electric Scooter 54

13 A Little Bell for Maslyakov 58

14 Godfather Rodnyansky 66

15 A Scandal in Jurmala 70

16 The Family of Kvartal 95 74

17 The Kadyrov Ordeal 79

18 Ebony Rods 83

19 Zelensky's Double 87

20 Zelensky's Ceremonial General 94

21 Zelensky's Shenr Brothers 99

22 Kolomoisky's Knife 104

23 Poroshenko on His Knees 112

24 The Zelensky Collective 124

25 Zelensky's Idol Syvokho 129

26 The Polygraph for "Servants of the People" 133

27 Who Turned Zelensky into an Addict? 137

28 Zelensky under Yermak 142

29 Zelensky's Dream Team 152

30 Zelensky's Architect 159

31 The Magic Number 95 166

32 He Who Burdened Zelensky with the Presidency 170

33 A Gagarin for Zelensky 175

34 A Black Mirror for a Hero 178

35 Zvirobiy, Fedyna, and a Victim 182

36 Wagnergate: A Story with Many Unknowns 186

37 How the Oligarch Akhmetov Prepared a Coup for Zelensky 190

38 The Bucha Massacre 193

Epilogue: The President of War 200

Chronology 203

Editorial Reviews

Selected as one of The New Statesman’s Best Books of 2023

"War is a rupture—in a country's life and a leader's. Amid the calamity, Ukrainians have proven lucky in theirs. As Mr Rudenko writes at the close, the man who was 'visibly nervous' in his early bouts of diplomacy, the ingénue and clown, now has an experience of statecraft that no modern Western leader can match, nor would wish to."
The Economist

"From voice of Paddington to global giant... the man behind the wartime façade"
The Observer

"The first English-language biography of Zelensky reveals what Ukrainians really think of him"
The Telegraph

"Serhii Rudenko's biography is a portrait of a wartime hero whose troubled past may return to haunt him... [It is] an extraordinary life story, which is still being written. Reading this biography now, in the wake of a war that upended our understanding of both Zelensky and Ukraine, presents his personal history in a new light."
Lyse Doucet, The New Statesman

"Fascinating"
The Guardian

"A fast-paced biography of an unexpected world leader... the author capably shows how Zelensky has displayed an astonishing transformation in the face of continued Russian aggression."
Kirkus

"Rudenko has written a succinct political biography that plunges readers right into the middle of the Ukrainian political scene"
Prospect Magazine

"... important and detailed...: Zelensky is easily the equal of the most impressive wartime leaders the West has ever had."
Owen Matthews, The Spectator

"deftly charts the transformation of a former comedian into a reforming president and then, swiftly, into a charismatic wartime leader and global figure."
The New Statesman

From the Publisher

2022-06-27
A fast-paced biography of an unexpected world leader.

In 38 short, zingy “episodes” that play on Zelensky’s TV career before winning the presidency of Ukraine in April 2019, Ukrainian journalist and political commentator Rudenko explores his subject’s life and important influences on the brash new leader, mostly before Russia’s invasion in February 2022. A popular actor prior to his candidacy—he was especially beloved for his role as history teacher Vasyl Horoborodko, who becomes head of state in the film and TV series Servant of the People—Zelensky was elected by a landslide largely due to his youthful charisma, promises to upend the corrupt, Soviet-style oligarchy of incumbent Petro Poroshenko, and desire “to become the president of peace.” Before his decision to join the campaign, the former comedian was not taken seriously. However, with help from his loyal backers at his TV production company, Kvartal 95 Studio, Zelensky proved to be an earnest, witty opponent who sounded themes of anti-corruption and pledges to find resolution in the Donbas war, concepts that resonated with the Ukrainian people. Although vowing not to get mired in the nepotism that plagued his predecessor, Zelensky surrounded himself with his trusted assistants from Kvartal 95 Studio, and as the author shows, during his rough first six months in office, he showed few signs of becoming a household name on the world stage for his bravery and dedication to his people. He had to navigate the entrenched bureaucracy of the prickly Ukrainian parliament, clean house, manage staff turnover, and survive extortion by then-President Donald Trump to dig up dirt on Hunter Biden. Though many of the people and events will be unfamiliar to non-Ukrainian readers, the author capably shows how Zelensky has displayed an astonishing transformation in the face of continued Russian aggression.

An admiring but not uncritical first look for English-language readers.

Kirkus Reviews

Mike Lenz narrates in a low-key, evenhanded way. Still, he becomes excited as he describes the atmosphere surrounding Volodymyr Zelensky's victory in the Ukrainian presidential election.

AudioFile

Mostly, Mike Lenz narrates in a low-key, evenhanded way. Still, he becomes excited as he describes the atmosphere surrounding Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory in the Ukrainian presidential election. Lenz drops a few hints of trouble ahead, though. And not just the war with Russia. Although the author, a Ukrainian journalist, praises Zelensky’s fight against the Russian invasion, he is often critical of the neophyte president’s actions, such as letting go of longtime associates who served in his early administration. The scandals seem to mount, but the author lauds Zelensky successes, such as his handling of a hostage crisis. Rudenko wrote from Kyiv as bombs were dropping, and his list of Russian atrocities hits its mark, even as Lenz keeps emotion minimal. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Mostly, Mike Lenz narrates in a low-key, evenhanded way. Still, he becomes excited as he describes the atmosphere surrounding Volodymyr Zelensky’s victory in the Ukrainian presidential election. Lenz drops a few hints of trouble ahead, though. And not just the war with Russia. Although the author, a Ukrainian journalist, praises Zelensky’s fight against the Russian invasion, he is often critical of the neophyte president’s actions, such as letting go of longtime associates who served in his early administration. The scandals seem to mount, but the author lauds Zelensky successes, such as his handling of a hostage crisis. Rudenko wrote from Kyiv as bombs were dropping, and his list of Russian atrocities hits its mark, even as Lenz keeps emotion minimal. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile