The Bridge Street Press snaps up rights to The Good Russian by Jana Bakunina

The Bridge Street Press, an imprint of Little, Brown, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Good Russian: In Search of a Nation’s Soul by writer and commentator Jana Bakunina. 

The book was bought by publisher Sameer Rahim from Elliot Prior and Rachel Goldblatt at Curtis Brown, with publication slated for 6 November 2025.

In The Good Russian, Bakunina, a Russian-British writer who has resided in the UK for two decades, embarks on a journey into the heart of contemporary Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Returning to her home city of Yekaterinburg, Bakunina reconnects with ordinary Russians to gauge their perceptions of the conflict and its impact on the nation’s spirit. The book grapples with themes of nationalism, dissent and the hope for a liberated future, all while navigating her own family’s complexities, including her once-liberal father’s shift towards pro-Putin sentiment.

Bakunina has previously written about Russia for the Financial Times, the New Statesman, the London Standard, Sifted and the Spectator. Her fiction has been recognised with shortlistings for the Bridport Prize and London Independent Short Story Prize, and a second-place finish in the Olga Sinclair Prize. 

Bakunina said: "When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I felt angry and utterly helpless. A year later, I thought that perhaps I could do something as a writer. I travelled to Russia and sought to understand ordinary people, how the war had affected their lives and their hopes for the future. I hope my book offers a glimpse into the soul of people reckoning with what it means to be Russian today."

Rahim said: "Jana is a beautiful writer whose morally nuanced take on what is really happening in Russia now throws much needed light on the current conflict – and raises broader questions of what happens when your country commits unconscionable acts."