Her Jewish grandfather’s shame inspired a prize-winning novel
Sasha Vasilyuk's debut novel, “Your Presence Is Mandatory,” won the $100,000 prize for a story inspired by her father’s father, a Jewish soldier in the Red Army.
Sasha Vasilyuk’s novel, "Your Presence Is Mandatory," was inspired by the story of her grandfather, right, a Soviet World War II soldier who never talked about the war. (photo credit: Christopher Michel; Courtesy Sasha Vasilyuk)ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
