Tamar Anolic
Tamar is a writer whose work focuses on a range of genres and subjects. She writes Young Adult and Middle Grade novels, as well as historical and contemporary fiction for adults. Many of her short stories have been published in literary journals, and she has written numerous award-winning books.
Tamar's upcoming two-volume short story collection about the women of the Romanov dynasty will be published December 1! Romanova: Women of the Empire, Volumes I and II, covers 400 years of Russian history through the eyes of the mothers, sisters, wives and cousins of the tsars. Some of these women were empresses themselves.
Romanova: Women of the Empire, Volume I, begins with stories about Xenia Shestova, mother of Tsar Mikahil I, the first Romanov Tsar. During the Time of Troubles, Xenia was forced to become a nun and sent into exile in a faraway convent. She made her way back to Moscow to ensure her children’s survival. These stories also focus on a number of other women of the dynasty, such as Tsarevna Irina, daughter of Tsar Mikhail, whose failed engagement to Prince Waldemar of Denmark became both a farce and a tragedy. Tsarvena Sophia, half-sister of Peter the Great, comes to life as she acts as Peter’s regent, directing both foreign and domestic affairs with great skill. Catherine the Great rises to power and expands the Romanovs’ empire. Her many granddaughters also make their mark on history. This volume ends with the story of Empress Alexandra, wife of Tsar Nicholas I, as the Decembrist Revolution rages in St. Petersburg.
Romanova: Women of the Empire, Volume II, begins with Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna. She was a princess of Saxe-Altenberg who fought for a unique patrionymic when marrying into the Russian Imperial Family, rather than being forced into taking the Romanovs’ traditional patrionymic for foreign brides. This volume also tells of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, who established Russia’s first musical conservatory. It tells of Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Nicholas II, who came to Russia as a young Danish bride after losing her first fiancée. Grand Duchesses Xenia Alexandrovna and Olga Alexandrovna, sisters of Tsar Nicholas II, grew up in the last years of Imperial Russia and witnessed the Russian Revolution; here, they tell their stories. Among the other stories in this volume is that of Princess Vera Konstantinovna, who also fled the Revolution and ended up in New York; she lived until 2001 and was the last Romanov to remember Imperial Russia.
Pre-order your copies of Romanova: Women of the Empire, Volumes I and II here: