March 10, 2026 marked the launch of Farewell to Russia: Memories of When I Was Kola, a book co-translated from Italian by Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, WLC Department). Written by Nikolai Prestia in Italian, this autofiction work was published by Rutgers University Press in the OVOI series (Other Voices in Italian). Enriched by a preface by Loredana Polezzi, a translator’s note by Teresa Fiore, and the cover photo by Lilia Pino Blouin created specifically for the book, the publication is part of a collaboration between the author and a mother-daughter translator duo, Teresa Fiore and Daniela Chaudhary Fiore.
Largely based on Prestia’s early life, the novel portrays the experience of the protagonist Kola growing up in 1990s Russia in a family marked by poverty, substance abuse, and neglect, which is the reason why Kola and his sister are eventually admitted into the orphanage system. Here, Kola comes face to face with a different but equally daunting challenge: navigating an unfamiliar and sometimes hostile world haunted by the absence of his mother. The ensuing journey, which eventually culminates in the adoption by an Italian family, alternates moments of both trauma and deliverance, while asking fundamental questions about our ability to reconcile ourselves with unfathomable loss.
Harrowing yet lyrical, Nikolai Prestia’s prize-winning 2021 novel is a testament to the duality of memory in its ability to both hurt and heal, and to the transformative power of those figures, adults and peers alike, who contribute to a child’s development. A rarity even in the realm of books on adoption, the novel serves up a wrenching glimpse into the back stories that often precede the adoption of an older child.
In Italy, the book was the winner of the Massarosa Literary Prize for Debut Novel, was long listed for the Comisso Prize, and short listed for the Premio Zocca Giovani. Originally published in 2022 by Marislio, it was reprinted in the prestigious Economica Feltrinelli series after several reprints. See some early reviews of the book in English.
Special thanks to Alessandro Vettori for embracing the proposal in 2022, Sandra Waters and Eilis Kierans for their wordsmithing as editors, Carah Nasseem, and the whole team at Rutgers University Press, for bringing the project into harbor. This project was also made possible through the support of presentations, workshops, and services by the Inserra Chair at Montclair State University over the years.
Presentations of the book in Italian:
1. Online conversation with Nikolai Prestia at Montclair State University (2022)
2. In-person presentation in Sicily (2024)
Part of the broader project launched by Dr. Fiore, titled Adoption Studies.