An American Journalist Imprisoned as a Spy in Russia

About this episode

<p>In 2023, Evan Gershkovich was working as a young reporter in Moscow for the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, when he was arrested by Russian authorities. He was eventually convicted on blatantly false charges of espionage and spent nearly five hundred days in imprisonment. Gershkovich recounts the experience in a new memoir, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/795680/this-cursed-beautiful-land-by-evan-gershkovich/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>This Cursed Beautiful Land</u></a>,” and in an <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/essay/the-cellmate-who-taught-me-the-codes-of-russian-prison" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>essay</u></a> in <i>The New Yorker</i>. He spoke with David Remnick about life inside a Russian prison, the international prisoner swap that freed him, and why the difficult process of reacclimating to his former life complicated how he viewed his incarceration.&nbsp;</p><p>Further reading and listening:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/the-russian-prisoner-who-didnt-want-to-be-freed#rid=7fc854db-1a1a-425c-af75-15f2132a38ad&amp;q=evan+gershkovich" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>The Russian Prisoner Who Didn’t Want to Be Freed</u></a>,” by Joshua Yaffa</li><li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/evan-gershkovich-is-finally-coming-home#rid=7fc854db-1a1a-425c-af75-15f2132a38ad&amp;q=evan+gershkovich" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Evan Gershkovich Is Finally Coming Home</u></a>,” by Joshua Yaffa</li><li>“<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-unimaginable-horror-of-a-friends-arrest-in-moscow#rid=7fc854db-1a1a-425c-af75-15f2132a38ad&amp;q=evan+gershkovich" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>The Unimaginable Horror of a Friend’s Arrest in Moscow</u></a>,” by Joshua Yaffa</li></ul><p><i>This segment was recorded live at the </i><a href="https://emanuelnyc.org/giving/the-streicker-center/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i><u>Temple Emanu-El Streicker Centers</u></i></a><i>, in New York City.&nbsp;&nbsp;</i></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow the show wherever <a href="http://swap.fm/l/tny-radiohour-eBFv3Y" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>you get your podcasts</u></a>.&nbsp;</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>