Historical or biographical fiction sometimes sensationalizes or embellishes its subject to help events carry a novel-length narrative. Anastasia Rubis’ debut novel “Oriana” has no such problem.
Using three timelines over six decades, readers hurtle through the life of Oriana Fallaci, dipping in and out of events around the globe that include wartime rebellion, love affairs, heartbreak, breaking the rules, and standing up to obstacles wherever they appear. I hesitate to use “swashbuckling” to describe the character that Ms. Rubis creates in “ORIANA: A Novel of Oriana Fallaci,” but it fits.
In breathtaking scenes of danger and loss, Rubis helps us see Oriana Fallaci beyond the brilliant and courageous journalist. Rubis gives Oriana what the award-winning writer never dared give herself: vulnerability. And Rubis manages to do this without using feminine tropes that pigeonhole powerful female characters all around us. The Oriana Fallaci in Rubis’ novel is deeply flawed and fully relatable. As we watch the sexist barriers and dismissive expectations fall before Oriana Fallaci, we also realize how much she had to lose, and we mourn her compromises and missteps. It’s a powerful and realistic portrayal of trying to “have it all” in a world that fights powerful women at every turn.
Rubis’ choice to shift the story back and forth between Oriana’s wartime childhood, mid-life height of her career, and older years after scandal has dimmed her reputation helps us recognize the influence earlier experiences had on Oriana’s life as a whole. Anastasia Rubis humanizes the towering image of the woman called “the best reporter in the world.” Rubis leaves you wondering why her name wasn’t familiar until now.
Q&A With the Author of “ORIANA”
Anastasia “Stacy” Rubis took time out to speak with Montclair Local about her debut novel.
Montclair Local: Congratulations on this debut novel! “ORIANA” is such a rich subject. Many writers have extensively covered her life. She herself has recorded significant moments of her experiences. How does this novel contribute to her legacy and enhance the existing image and history of her life?
Rubis: Oriana Fallaci is famous throughout Europe but largely unknown in the U.S., even though she lived in Manhattan. Through fiction-based, in fact, I wanted to introduce her to a wider audience, to illuminate the trailblazer she was and the forces that shaped her. Unfortunately, all of Oriana’s books are out of print, except for “Interviews with History and Power,” which Christiane Amanpour has said should be required reading for all journalists. I hope my novel sends readers back to Interview and to the internet to learn more about Oriana’s colorful, bold personality. She revolutionized the art of the interview in the 1960s and 1970s. This was a time when women were largely excluded from journalism.
ML: What is it about Oriana that drew you to her story?
Rubis: Her courage and confidence, which I wanted more of. I was shy, and she was—not shy. She challenged and confronted world leaders and celebrities.
To Kissinger on Vietnam, she said, “Don’t you find, Dr. Kissinger, that it’s been a useless war?” Sadly, she got him to agree. To Gaddafi, she said, “I haven’t told you that you are a dictator yet. But I will now.” To Norman Mailer: “You dislike violence? You who have knifed a wife and can’t miss a boxing match?” (He really did knife one of his wives). To Hugh Hefner: “I am wondering if you like women beyond the sex, I mean.” Her interviews are loaded with comebacks. Often to dictators, she said things such as “You don’t remember? You should,” “You are contradicting yourself again,” and my favorite: “You must be joking.” Essentially, I was drawn to Oriana because I wanted to be as gutsy unafraid and outspoken as she was.
ML: Why did you choose historical novelization as a medium to re-introduce this journalist?
Rubis: I’ve always loved books, movies and television shows “based on a true story.” I’m not alone: historical fiction is having a moment right now. Some of my favorite historical novels are “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, “Hester” by Laurie Albanese, and “Euphoria” by Lily King. In all three, we learn history while being entertained. Biopics are super popular now, too: “Oppenheimer,” “Maestro,” “The Crown,” “Julia” and Capote vs. the Swans. Real life is stranger than fiction—and more compelling for me.
ML: Fallaci’s life reads like fiction; her work, her origin story, and her love life rival fictional characters. Did you need to dampen or enhance any aspects of her life for the purposes of clarity? Believability?
Rubis: No! I tried to capture Oriana on the page as faithfully as possible. I knew she was a great character for a novel (or movie) precisely because she was glamorous, defiant, brilliant, boundary-smashing—just a badass.
ML: In the novel, so much of Fallaci’s personality comes through in dialogue and body language. How did you manage to convey her voice and presence?
Rubis: Oriana’s voice is distinctive and electrifying; it’s a piece of music that got stuck in my brain. I read all of her works. Additionally, I went to look at her archives, which are stored at Boston University. I listened to her taped interviews of Walter Cronkite in her deep, smoker’s voice. Oriana claimed that voice reveals a lot about a person, and she’s right! She came alive for me through those cassettes. I felt I knew her.
I also studied her appearances on Dick Cavett and Charlie Rose on YouTube. One of my favorite moments is when she disagrees with Rose’s statement with a bald “No, no, no, no, no!” Five times in a row! Finally, I carry the imprint of strong Mediterranean women and the way they express themselves because my family is from Greece. It’s in my blood. Greeks and Italians are very similar in their directness, volume, loquaciousness and hand motions!
ML: The novel addresses some of the most basic and painful conflicts women face in society. Oriana’s ambition, sex life, desire for connection and commitment, the longing for a child—and ambivalence around that longing, the pressure to “have it all,” and more. What do you hope readers will take away from the novel?
Rubis: That we can’t have everything, that longing and regret are part of life. Oriana came from a working-class background. She dropped out of university to support her family. And through sheer brilliance and work ethic, achieved international success in male-dominated journalism. Yet, no matter how hard she worked or how deeply she wanted it, she didn’t succeed in having a lifelong partner or child. Oriana’s generation were pioneers in combining career and family and really had it rough.
ML: At its core, “ORIANA” is a love story. But it’s no fairy tale. How is it a love story between Oriana and her career, Alekos, and herself?
Rubis: Oriana’s upbringing may have been traditional, but her life was far from it. Despite growing up in Italy during the 1930s and 1940s, she lived a very unconventional and non-traditional lifestyle. I find it moving to see her trying to have what her mother has, a husband and family—yet being pulled toward a larger stage, a bigger life. Her road was not paved. She was a feminist before there was a movement. The bottom line is that there is always a price to pay, a sacrifice, no matter which road we choose.
ML: Finally, how might Oriana Fallaci’s life and work hold readers’ interest today?
Rubis: My fascination with Oriana Fallaci began in my twenties when I found her memoir “A Man” in a dusty souvenir shop on a remote Greek island. Her rebellious and assertive nature has kept me interested in her all these years, and it took me 11 years to write and publish “ORIANA”! I hope readers enjoy meeting the woman whom Dick Cavett called a “legend,” Christiane Amanpour called “a great mentor,” and Rolling Stone called “the greatest political interviewer of modern times.”
Book Details & Upcoming Event
“ORIANA: A Novel of Oriana Fallaci” comes out March 19—pre-order here. The March 21 event at Watchung Booksellers has sold out, but you can catch Rubis at the Montclair Literary Festival on April 27!