Mikhail Gorbachev presents his autobiography in Berlin

The presentation of the autobiography book of Soviet and Russian politician Mikhail Gorbachev – “All in Good Time. My Life” was held in the Berliner Ensemble theatre in the centre of the German capital on Tuesday evening. In addition to the author, the event was attended, in particular, by former President of Germany Richard von Weizsecker (1984-1994) and ex-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR (1990) Lothar de Maiziere. The former USSR President’s book is about his childhood and youth, which he spent in the village of Privolnoye in the North Caucasus region (currently – Stavropol Territory), his student years in Moscow, about the political career, the Chernobyl NPP accident, the relationship with the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the events of August 1991. However, a common thread running through the 550-page book is the love story with his wife Raisa. “My first love is my wife, and the second – politics,” the author said at the presentation. The Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1990 said that he assumes certain responsibility for his wife’s death from leukaemia in 1999. “When I was elected Secretary General (1985), I told her that we should live as we lived before,” he told the audience. “But my work was back-breaking labour, which was taking all our strength. And my fault was that she had to share with me my destiny, stress.” It was after the death of Raisa Maximovna that Gorbachev decided to write this book. Referring to current relations between Russia and Germany, he said that Moscow and Berlin need to develop relations and to continue rapprochement. “We must very well know each other to be able to understand,” he said. “Our common history is so rich that a few chapters from it could be deleted. In spite of everything, we are still partners and continue to cooperate.” The Hoffmann und Campe Verlag publishing house, which acquired the rights to the book last year, told Itar-Tass that the German language version of the book is “somewhat different” from the Russian, which is called “Alone with Myself.” “The translator made all changes and additions to the book with the author’s consent. We hope that this book will be of interest to German readers, otherwise we would not have acquired the rights to it,” the publisher said. The book goes on sale on March 14 this year.