On Freedom
Про свободу
Timothy Snyder – author
Halyna Herasym – translator
Publisher: Crown Publishing / Choven Publishing House
Language of translation: Ukrainian
Zarembo Kateryna / author
In his book On Freedom, Timothy Snyder examines one of the most invoked yet least understood ideals of modern political life. While freedom is often celebrated as a defining feature of democratic societies, Snyder asks a more fundamental question: what does it truly mean to be free, and how can freedom be sustained in an increasingly complex and fragile world?
Drawing on history, philosophy, and lived experience, the book challenges common misconceptions that reduce freedom to the absence of constraint or state interference. Instead, Snyder redefines freedom as a collective and ethical project—one that requires responsibility, solidarity, and the protection of human dignity. Through a series of vivid and deeply personal reflections, ranging from a maternity ward in Vienna to maximum-security prisons and war-torn Ukrainian cities, he illustrates how freedom is shaped, defended, and often endangered.
On Freedom confronts the central challenges facing contemporary societies, including the rise of authoritarianism, growing inequality, opaque digital systems, and climate change. Snyder argues that freedom is being steadily eroded by oligarchic power, unchecked technology, and political cynicism—and that reclaiming it demands conscious action and moral clarity. The book ultimately offers a compelling call to rethink freedom not as an individual possession, but as a shared responsibility that must be actively protected if it is to endure.
