Free: Coming of Age at the End of History is a 2021 book by Lea Ypi published by Penguin Books.[1] In the book, Ypi details her experience growing up before and after the fall of communism in Albania.[2]
Author | Lea Ypi |
---|---|
Publisher | Allen Lane |
Publication date | 28 October 2021 |
Pages | 336[1] |
ISBN | 978-0-241-48185-1 |
Reception
editFree was shortlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize and the 2021 Costa Book Award for biography.[3][4] In January 2022, BBC Radio 4 serialised the book in their Book of the Week series.[5]
Free won the Ondaatje Prize[6] and the Slightly Foxed First Biography Prize.[7]
10,000 copies of the book were sold in November 2021.[2]
Ed O'Loughlin praised Ypi's use of subtext in the work.[8] Critics of the book have accused it of being communist apologia, an accusation that Ypi has denied.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Free". Penguin Books. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Weaver, Matthew (3 January 2022). "Author says memoir of communist Albania met with 'vicious' abuse". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Flood, Alison (15 October 2021). "Baillie Gifford prize reveals 'outstanding storytelling' on 2021 shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Flood, Alison (23 November 2021). "Costa prize 2021 shortlists highlight climate anxiety". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi. Book of the Week. BBC Radio 4. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "RSL Ondaatje Prize 2022 Shortlist Announced". Royal Society of Literature. 2022-04-20. Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ "Best First Biography Prize Archives". Slightly Foxed. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ^ O’Loughlin, Ed (18 December 2021). "Free by Lea Ypi: Funny, precise, accessible, serious memoir of a Stalinist childhood". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
External links
edit- Ypi, Lea (4 November 2021). Free: coming of age at the end of history. LSE Online Event. Interviewed by Kaldor, Mary. YouTube.