1990
«The first of my books» – «Against the Grain» – was published during the years of the perestroika. In writing it, I gave myself just one important task – to tell people about myself and where I come from. This was a time of great conflict between those who wanted to preserve the Soviet Union as it was then and a new generation of politicians, who wanted to see the birth of a new democratic power.
1994
«August 1991 saw the occurrence of a putsch. The country, as well as the rest of the world were deeply shaken by the events that took place. It seemed as though in the short space of just 3 days our whole country changed irrevocably. These days marked the boundary between Russia’s past and present. These events forced me to take up my Dictaphone, take a fresh sheet of paper and begin writing…believing that my words would only be read some time in the distant future.»
2000
«In my book «Midnight Diaries» I turn to the events, starting in 1996, that formed the foundation of the second term of my presidency. The change of government and the economic crash, the search for a new leader and the bitter election campaign – I have tried to talk about each of these subjects with as much honesty and fairness as I know. At the same time, this book can also be considered, in some ways, a review of my ‘decade’ in Russian politics.»
