Alexandra

Aleksandra is a heart-wrenching family saga spanning an entire century of Ukrainian history. Prompted by her ninety-four-year-old grandmother Aleksandra, the author Lisa Weeda, who has Ukrainian roots, travels to Luhansk to find the grave of her uncle Kolja, who went missing in 2015. Lisa manages to cross the border into the war zone and, during her escape, tumbles back in time. She finds herself in the Palace of the Soviets, where her great-grandfather Nikolai has been waiting for Aleksandra since his death in 1953. He never saw her again after her deportation to Germany in 1942. Together with Nikolai, Lisa wanders through the Palace, a deep dream where Kolja is also hidden, bringing the history of her Don Cossack family to life. Aleksandra is the story of a family caught between East and West, unable to break away from a land that seems destined never to find peace. Lisa Weeda has found the form and voice to tell this saga in a magnificent way. “Lisa Weeda’s writing style is precise, sensory, and captivating.” – C. C. S. Cronestipendium Jury 2020. Lisa Weeda is a Dutch-Ukrainian writer, literary programme creator, screenwriter, audio enthusiast, and virtual reality director. Her work is always text-based, but its form is diverse. Ukraine, her grandmother's homeland, is usually at the centre of her focus. Aleksandra is her debut novel. The book was shortlisted for the prestigious Dutch Libris Literature Prize and has been translated into several world languages. The Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant named her Literary Talent of the Year.