Biographical novel tells the story of the famed Italian journalist as well as her relationship with Greek Activist & Poet Alexandros Panagoulis.
Greek-American Anastasia Rubis always dreamed of being an author. Her debut novel, Oriana: A Novel of Oriana Fallaci (Delphinium) hits stores this month.
Rubis grew up in Flushing, Queens, New York and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, but spent her summers in Greece. Her mother was born in Anatolikon, a northern village though she grew up in Thessaloniki, to parents from Pontos. Her father hails from Katheni, Evia.
She wanted to write since her elementary years, but her first love was reading. “Books expanded my world beyond the beautiful Greek bubble I grew up in,” she said.
After college, she wrote and published “sporadically,” because she wanted to avoid rejections. But as she grew older, everything changed. “I got more focused and determined in my 40s, after big life events: I had my daughter and my beloved dad died.”
Her first career in advertising and PR was unfulfilling. She began pitching articles to The New York Observer and The New York Times. Soon after, she wrote long features for the Sunday NYT section ‘The City.’ She returned to school, earning a master’s degree in English, then taught freshman composition as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University. But her dream still nudged her.
A discovery years ago on a trip to Greece brought her to this moment. While waiting for the ferry on Folegandros, she browsed in a shop at the harbor. There, she found one English-language paperback: A Man by Oriana Fallaci.
“That story of Oriana and Alexander never left me. It was riveting—she was older and at the pinnacle of her career and he was just out of prison. They were meant for each other, with the same passion for freedom and human rights, yet you knew they were headed for tragedy.”
Learning about the famed journalist left an indelible mark. Rubis found Fallaci’s writing “candid, personal, emotional, and opinionated”—she said she didn’t know people were allowed to write that way. Inspired by Fallaci’s story, Rubis knew she had to tell it.
“Oriana was a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of journalism. She never thought I can’t do this because I’m a woman. She had the courage, confidence, and assertiveness I always wanted. Christiane Amanpour has said ‘I wanted to be her!’ and considers Oriana a role model. Most of us are raised to be good girls, but Oriana didn’t care about being nice. It was freeing to read her.”
The author was also touched by Fallaci’s love story with Alexandros.
“It’s full of passion, drama, tragedy. Through Alekos, I learned modern Greek history, the junta of the 60s and 70s and the trials Greece suffered before democracy returned. Alekos was imprisoned and tortured by the Papadopoulos regime for five years; he was elected to Parliament and is a hero to most Greeks today. It’s still a mystery how he died, but Oriana and many others believe he was murdered by political enemies. This book will introduce Greek-Americans to our own history.”
To capture the essence of Fallaci, Rubis read all the journalist’s work and watched every video of her she could find. “Her smoker’s voice and smart, probing questions really brought her to life. Surprisingly, Oriana reminded me of Greek women I have known.”
The book took four years to complete, but eleven years to get published. Rubis said that while editors liked the story, they hesitated because Fallaci wasn’t well-known in the States, even though she’d interviewed the likes of Harry Kissinger plus many other world leaders.
The result is a stunning work that pays homage to the journalist Newsweek called “the greatest interviewer of her day.” Rubis skillfully captured Fallaci, her passion, determination, and her humanity.
Rubis is already at work on her second novel about growing up on a Greek island. And she’d love to write a memoir. She said she’ll always write about Greece and Greeks. “I love my heritage and see stories everywhere.”
Oriana: A Novel of Oriana Fallaci will be available March 19 on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
Visit anastasiarubis.com.
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