Dasvidania, the autobiographical debut novel by Nikolai Prestia, won the 2022 Massarosa Literary Award, presented on Saturday, November 19, during the final ceremony at the Teatro Vittoria Manzoni.
The evening, hosted by Claudio Sottili, saw wide attendance from the public and institutions. Among the guests were Giuseppe Scibetta, the founder of our Foundation; Simona Barsotti, the mayor of Massarosa; Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region; and Hon. Elisa Montemagni.
The shortlist for the 2022 edition included: L’estate che resta by Giulia Baldelli (Guanda); Dasvidania by Nikolai Prestia (Marsilio); Nonostante tutte by Filippo Maria Battaglia (Einaudi); Sarà solo la fine del mondo by Liv Ferracchiati (Marsilio); and Oceanides by Riccardo Capoferro (Il Saggiatore).
Dasvidania is set in post-Soviet Russia in the 1990s and depicts the harsh reality the author experienced in orphanages and neglected outskirts. Kola (short for Nikolai) is seven years old, living amidst cold, hunger, and violence.
In the final part of the story, Kola and his sister are adopted by an Italian couple and taken to Sicily, opening up a new life perspective. The novel explores themes such as abandonment, resilience, and the possibility of a different future. Its narrative alternates between harshness and tenderness, portraying a complex world through an intimate and credible lens.
Prestia, born in 1990, makes his narrative debut with Dasvidania, yet the book already showcases a mature voice capable of depicting an era and a place with precision, empathy, and depth.
The Massarosa Award recognized his achievement, and now an international audience is set to discover his work.
The novel is scheduled for publication in the United States in March 2026 under the title Farewell to Russia – Memories of when I was Kola, in an edition curated by an independent American publisher. This confirms the international interest in a writing style that is both personal and universal.
