'Shocking' book about Putin's private life wins French literary prize

A taboo-breaking book about Vladimir Putin's rise to power and private life, written by two exiled Russian journalists, won a newly established French literary prize on Tuesday.

The book, titled "The Tsar in Propria Persona: How Vladimir Putin Deceived Us All", draws on more than two decades of investigative reporting by journalists Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin.

The work won a newly established literary award called the Prix Strasbourg awarded by EBRA, France's largest regional newspaper group, and its parent company, Credit Mutuel Alliance Federale.

The book is due to be published in France next month.

It reads "like a spy novel", the jury said, describing the book as a "fascinating and shocking work about a figure who is himself fascinating and shocking".

"It is the result of several hundred interviews with witnesses, some of whom later disappeared under tragic circumstances."

Badanin is the founder and editor-in-chief of Proekt, an investigative media outlet created in 2018.

Both Badanin and Rubin, his deputy at Proekt, live in the United States after coming under pressure in Russia.

Badanin said the authors wanted foreigners to read the book and learn "actual facts" about Putin and the system he had built.

"The message we wanted to convey with this book is as follows: there is no need to invent anything about Putin. Instead, learn how things really are. That is horrifying enough," he told AFP.

"Only a genuine understanding of the facts can help us make sound assessments, respond effectively, and plan for the future of relations between nations."

When the book's Russian edition was published last year, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) said that Badanin and Rubin broke a Kremlin-imposed taboo about Putin's private life "at great personal risk".

The book "contrasts the official image of the Russian president, now in his 26th year in power, as a leading defender of traditional values against Western decadence with the reality of his private life -- where extramarital affairs, nepotism, and connections to organised crime reign".

Launched in 2026, the prize seeks to distinguish itself through its substantial endowment, with 20,000 euros ($23,000) awarded to the overall winner and 55,000 euros distributed across all categories.

Other prize winners include Haitian author Thelyson Orelien and French journalist Marion Dubreuil.

bar-as/sbk