When I’m Out of Here: Staying Human in a Dictator’s Jail / Hanna Komar

Description

During the 2020 Belarusian uprising, a young poet is imprisoned for peaceful protest along with thousands of other ordinary people. Inside the crowded cells, she encounters people from every walk of life — teachers, grandmothers, students — each with their own story of resistance. This book interweaves her story and theirs into a powerful portrait of courage under repression.

At once a literary prison memoir, a chorus of women’s voices, and a testimony to the role of art under dictatorship, the book speaks to readers interested in freedom, solidarity and the power of language.

What once seemed unthinkable is now reality: the erosion of civil liberties, the normalisation of detention, and the quiet expansion of state power. This book speaks to our time, finding hope behind bars and the human will to unite in the darkest moments.

Hanna Komar is a Belarusian poet detained during the 2020 protests. After her release, she recorded stories of those she met in prison. Her work explores the intersection of personal and political trauma, highlighting resilience and solidarity in the face of oppression.

“Through narration that is creative and delicate yet unflinchingly powerful, Hanna allows us to hear the voices of thousands of other Belarusian protesters.” — Dr Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Vilnius University

“After reading this text, I’m haunted by how horrifyingly similar some of the details are to the terrifying stories of ICE detentions currently happening in the US.” — Alana Felton, Yale University Skaryna Press, 2026. Pb, 263 pp, ISBN:  RRP: £14.99. Release date: 21 April 2026