About the Book
When a Hollywood producer visits Oriana Fallaci at the end of her life to propose a movie, the story unfolds of her trailblazing career as a journalist, her tragic love, and her greatest regret.
Oriana was born in Italy, moved to Manhattan, and achieved international fame for her provocative interviews of world leaders and celebrities. At her peak in 1973, Oriana was called “the best reporter in the world.” That’s when she fell in love with Alexander Panagoulis, Greek hero and poet. He was ten years younger and lived in a different country, but Oriana didn’t care. She had finally found what she longed for: a full life. Can a woman ever have it all, or does life always exact a price?
Christiane Amanpour calls Oriana her role model, saying, “I wanted to be her!”
Oriana holds a place alongside Mike Wallace and Barbara Walters as a world-class interviewer. But her story is little-known in America until now.
Based on the real life of the glamorous Italian, the iconic journalist, the woman in love.
Praise for Oriana
A poignant and fascinating exploration of Oriana Fallaci’s remarkable life. . . a deeply satisfying novel that examines the sacrifices and triumphs of a woman determined to make her mark on the world.
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 NYT bestselling author of Orphan Train
Oriana is an exuberant novel about an exuberant woman, the famous Italian interviewer of the Seventies, Oriana Fallaci.
—Historical Novels Review, May 2024
I remember Oriana Fallaci vividly and was thrilled to read this novel about her work and her life, particularly her great romance in the early 70s with a man who was not afraid of her ability and ambition. Anastasia Rubis writes with a passion for her subject that matches Oriana’s own craving for a big full life and in turn does her and the era a great justice. In scene after breathtaking scene, we relive a time of great hope when getting at the truth was possible. A truly inspiring debut.
—Alice Elliott Dark, author of In the Gloaming and Fellowship Point
Brava! Oriana is a love story as bold, sophisticated, and beautiful as the remarkable woman herself. From a childhood under the Nazis to a journalist jetting around the world to pierce the veil of power, Oriana wins international renown but longs for enduring love. Readers will be swept into a life as extraordinary as it is heartbreaking. I wept at the end, and loved every minute of Anastasia Rubis’s stunning historical fiction debut.
—Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Hester and Stolen Beauty
About the Author
Anastasia Rubis has been published in the New York Times, Huffington Post, New York Observer, and literary journals. Her story “Blue Pools” was included in the anthology Oh, Baby published by Creative Nonfiction and edited by Lee Gutkind. Another story, “Girl Falling,” was named a Notable Essay in Best American Essays. She co-wrote and co-directed the short documentary Breakfast Lunch Dinner: The Greek Diner Story.
Anastasia earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Brown University and an M.A. from Montclair State University, where she was an adjunct professor of English. Early in her career, she was an advertising and public relations executive in Manhattan. She and her husband live in New Jersey, where they raised their daughter, and she spends summers in Greece, where her parents were born. Oriana is her debut novel.