The Nansen Factor

“A compassionate rendering of acclimation and its many challenges.” — Booklist

This bold debut collection of stories follows the lives of those displaced by the Bolshevik Revolution and their descendants, shining a light on the lasting impact of displacement and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Norwegian diplomat Fridtjof Nansen created a passport for stateless persons used by refugees as a valid travel document from 1922-1937. The world is all too aware of what has happened to Russia in the century since then—Lenin, Stalin, and now Putin with his iron-fist policies and invasion of Ukraine. But what about the aristocrats whose ancestors governed Russia before Communism? How did they fare in displacement? Civil War, Red Terror, and Bolshevik rule caused over one million to flee Russia. Written by the daughter of one such émigré, The Nansen Factor traces the lives of these refugees and their descendants across a century of upheaval and displacement. From the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution to the echoes of the past in modern-day America, these interconnected tales vividly portray the resilience of individuals uprooted by history at a moment when migrants are once again on the move in search of refuge, highlighting how the pain of losing one’s homeland may fade, but the injury to the psyche is slow to heal.

After graduation from Vassar College, Alexandra Grabbe worked in journalism and broadcasting while raising three bicultural children in Paris, France. For two decades, she ran an eco-friendly bed-and-breakfast on Cape Cod, where she edited her father’s memoir. Two of his ancestors are mentioned in Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Now dividing her time between Sweden and Boston, Alexandra continues her lifelong passion as an author. Find her recent work in The Washington Post, Better After 50, and Next Avenue at Alexandragrabbe.com.