Arkady Ostrovsky
Best non-fiction book on international affairs
AWARD DATE: 2016
AWARD NAME: 14 The Cornelius Ryan Award
AWARD RECIPIENT: Arkady Ostrovsky
AWARD RECIPIENT AFFILIATION: Viking/Penguin Random House
AWARD HONORED WORK: “The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev’s Freedom to Putin’s War”
Grippingly told and brimming with brilliant insights, “The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev’s Freedom to Putin’s War” explained the past 60 years of Russia’s turbulent political development. Arkady Ostrovsky, a veteran Russian-born journalist who has been on the scene at historical events, immersed himself in years of Russian newspapers and TV programming, and conducted candid interviews with dozens of Russia’s leading politicians, oligarchs and media kingmakers. The result was a fascinating and compelling insider account of how power has been won and lost among Russia’s ruling elite. Ostrovsky highlighted the outsized influence of the Russian media, from the pioneering newspaper Kommersant to the national TV networks and their often amoral news anchors. In one chilling anecdote, political reformer Boris Nemstov visits the office of Russia’s newly elected president, Vladimir Putin, and sees nothing on Putin’s desk except a TV remote control. Putin would soon establish complete power over Russian media; years later, Nemstov would be assassinated.
Citation Recipient: Robert F. Worth
Affiliation: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Honored Work: “A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to ISIS”