Alexei Navalny's Patriot named Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2025

Patriot, the memoir Alexei Navalny wrote in part while imprisoned, was named Overall Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, known as the Nibbies, on 12 May 2025. The ceremony was held at Grosvenor House in London. The book, published in the UK by the Bodley Head, also won the Non-Fiction: Narrative category.

Navalny died in a Russian prison in February 2024, and the memoir was published after his death. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, addressed the ceremony by video.

Other winners on the night included Percival Everett, named Author of the Year, whose novel James won the fiction category, and Rob Biddulph as Illustrator of the Year. Margaret Atwood received the Freedom to Publish award.

The British Book Awards are run by The Bookseller and reward both books and the trade that publishes and sells them. Giving the top prize to a political memoir written under these conditions is a clear statement about freedom of expression, a theme the evening returned to more than once. For readers and writers, it is a reminder that publishing some books still carries real risk for those involved.

Sources: Susanna Lea Associates: Two British Book Awards for Patriot; Wikipedia: British Book Awards.