Vz: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Making of a Nation

How does a comedian become the face of a nation's fight for survival? In VZ: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Making of a Nation, celebrated Russian author Dmitry Bykov unpacks the extraordinary rise of Vladimir Zelenskyy--from a TV star to a wartime leader defying a global superpower. With wit and razor-sharp insight, Bykov dives into the moments that shaped Zelenskyy's improbable journey, revealing the man behind the headlines.

This is not just a story of one leader but of a nation on the edge, and the power of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. Bykov offers a fresh, compelling take on Zelenskyy's leadership, Ukraine's struggle for sovereignty, and what it truly means to fight for democracy in the modern world.

For anyone eager to understand the making of a modern hero and the fierce will of a nation under siege, VZ is essential reading.

Author: Dmitry Bykov
Publisher: Open Letter
Published: 06/10/2025
Pages: 520
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.40d
ISBN13: 9781960385390
ISBN10: 1960385399
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Presidents & Heads of State
- Biography & Autobiography | Political
- Biography & Autobiography | Cultural & Regional

About the Author
Dmitry Bykov 96 books, including 12 novels, 6 biographies and 25 collections of poetry. He has won "The Big Book" three times and Brothers Strugatsky Prize four times. He participated in the Russian oppositional movement and was a member of the Oppositional Coordination Council, was poisoned in 2019, but survived.

John Freedman is an American writer and translator who has translated 150 plays and edited the award-winning anthology A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War: 20 Short Works by Ukrainian Playwrights. He is Project Director of the Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings for Philip Arnoult's Center for International Theatre Development.