Winner of book award

‘A timely book’

'Kharzeeva’s memoir is not only the story of her own Russian Jewish family but an important history of the radical evolution of Russian Jewry'

Photo: Giselle Haber
Photo: Giselle Haber

Over the weekend, the winner of the inaugural Wingate Award for Unpublished Manuscripts (Jewish Subject) was announced. Mazal Tov to Anna Kharzeeva for her non-fiction manuscript Warm Walls: A journey from Moscow to Sydney, to self. A memoir with recipes.

Kharzeeva is a food writer, social historian and journalist. She is the author of The Soviet Diet Cookbook: exploring life, culture and history – one recipe at a time. Born and raised in Moscow, Anna moved to Sydney in March 2022.

Kharzeeva’s manuscript is a record of her journey as a social historian and food writer who got caught up in historic events, beginning in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and following her from Moscow to Istanbul to a new life in Sydney.

Along the way there are flashbacks to the four generations of women who came before her, from Kharzeeva’s mother to her great-great-grandmother. Their story is told in the context of Russian and Jewish history, with the theme of whether to stay or leave Russia being central. Kharzeeva’s great-great-grandmother made the decision to leave, and almost 100 years later, so did Kharzeeva. In her writing, Kharzeeva reflects on the turmoil she experiences (something she never expected to go through) and reevaluates every aspect of her life, emerging with a sense of strength and purpose.

Each chapter features an object from the kitchen with warm walls (the way that heating runs in the apartment), where her great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and Kharzeeva lived at some point. A recipe to suit the kitchen object is included in each of the 10 chapters.

Kharzeeva said she was humbled by the win.

“To be shortlisted for Shalom’s Australian Jewish Book Award is a huge vote of confidence that my story is worth telling, that this book that has existed in my head might indeed one day become a reality. It’s a humbling reminder that I must make room for writing in my life, and that I’m not alone in this gut-wrenching, mind-opening, joyful, all-consuming business of storytelling.”

The judges, Lee Kofman, Ramon Koval and Jonathan Kaplan, described Kharzeeva’s story as “a timely book that highlights a lesser-known chapter in Jewish history and its reverberations today.

“In Warm Walls Anna Kharzeeva lays bare her departure from Russia in the wake of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as one thread in the rich tapestry of her Russian Jewish family saga. Interspersed with recollections and anecdotes of food and resilience, Kharzeeva’s memoir is not only the story of her own Russian Jewish family but an important history of the radical evolution of Russian Jewry from the 1917 October Revolution to the present.”

The Wingate Award for Unpublished Manuscripts (Jewish Subject) is generously supported by Investment Manager Wingate.

“Wingate is a long-standing supporter of Jewish education, arts and culture. This award is an investment in nurturing emerging writers within the community, with the belief that literature has the power to inspire and transform lives. It strongly aligns to our purpose to ‘enlarge and enrich the lives of all with whom we interact’ and celebrates achievement. We are delighted to be supporting this important award,” said Wingate Founder and CEO, Farrel Meltzer.

This is the third prize awarded in 2024, part of the inaugural Shalom Australian Jewish Book Awards.

“We were thrilled to have received so many submissions from diverse Australian voices and are grateful to all the writers for submitting their manuscripts. This shortlist – and all the entries – are a glimpse into the diversity of Jewish experience, research, thought and culture, and we hope to see many of these manuscripts published in the future,” explained Anna Stern, Deputy Director of Programs at Shalom who initiated the project.

The AJN will be chatting to Kharzeeva in an upcoming edition. 

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