In March 2023, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Evan Gershkovich met with a union boss connected with a Russian tank factory. A Wall Street Journal journalist, he sat with his source in an empty restaurant in an industrial city 900 miles east of Moscow. A squad of masked agents charged in, blindfolded Evan, and dragged him into an unmarked van. The agents were from the FSB, Putin’s powerful security service, and the successor to the Soviet-era KGB. Sentenced for sixteen years on false espionage charges, Evan was held for nearly sixteen months, mostly in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. He was released on August 1, 2024, in an international prisoner exchange.  More than a prison memoir, This Cursed Beautiful Land is an extraordinary, deeply reported chronicle of a misunderstood people and their Russian land—marked at once by stunning beauty and a haunting history. Evan Gershkovich is a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal based in Berlin. Born in New Jersey to Soviet émigrés, he lived in Russia for over five years before his 2023 arrest. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Economist, and Foreign Policy. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025 as part of an investigative team for "The Journal." He is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship.

Promotional Partner: International Affairs Forum Event Details Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7:00 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby. Ticket Information Additional City Opera House transaction fees are applied at checkout. A $3 facility fee is charged per ticket to support the City Opera House. Additional service fees are charged for tickets purchased online. To avoid service fees, buy your ticket by phone or at the Box Office, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday. Tier One indicates premium seating options with the best views, available on the main floor closest to the stage along with premium sections of the balcony. Tier Two indicates standard seating options, available on the main floor and most of the balcony. Individual Tickets Tier One: $27 Tier Two: $17 Admits one person to the in-person event. Tickets do not include a copy of the book. Ticket + Book Package Tier One: $54 Tier Two: $44 Admits one person to the in-person event. Ticket includes a signed hardcover copy of "This Cursed Beautiful Land" (retail value of $34). Signed books are only available at the in-person event. Student and Teacher Tickets: $12 No age restriction with a valid school ID, student and teacher tickets admit one person to the live event. Books are not included. Virtual Tickets Can’t make it to City Opera House? Enjoy the event live or on-demand from home! You can purchase virtual tickets or a virtual membership at nationalwritersseries.org.