Nothing But the Truth: Selected Dispatches

Until her murder in October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya wrote for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. She won international fame for her reporting on the Chechen wars and, more generally, on Russian state corruption. Nothing but the Truth is a defining collection of Anna Politkovskaya's best writing for Novaya Gazeta, published between 1999 and 2006. Beginning with a brief introduction by the author about her pariah status, Nothing but the Truth demonstrates the great breadth of her reportage, from the Chechen wars to domestic Russian affairs, the Moscow theatre hostage-taking in which she became involved, the Beslan school siege, and pieces about politicians, oligarchs and ordinary citizens. Elsewhere are illuminating accounts of interviews and encounters with western leaders including Lionel Jospin, Tony Blair, George W. Bush, and exiled figures including Boris Berezovsky, Akhmed Zakaev, and Vladimir Bukovsky. Her non-political writing is also represented here, revealing her delightful personality, as are international reactions to her murder. Nothing but the Truth will also stand as a tribute to Anna Politkovskaya's matter-of-fact personal courage, disclosing information glossed over or omitted completely about the dangers she faced and the threats she received in the course of her work. It is a lasting and inspiring book from one of the great reporters of our age.