Sasha Kolbi Wins KOBZAR Book Award for 'Memoirs of a Matryoshka'

What Happened Sasha Kolbi's book, 'Memoirs of a Matryoshka: The Story of Ukrainian Forced Labor, Leica Camera Factory, and Resistance to Nazism', took home the prestigious KOBZAR Book Award on March 26, 2026. This announcement followed a ceremony at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, as reported by Ukrinform. ## Key Details The KOBZAR Book Award is granted every two years to literary works that reflect the experiences of Ukrainians in Canada. The award includes a prize of 25,000 Canadian dollars, with each finalist receiving 1,500 dollars. Kolbi's book explores her grandmother's history, centering on her forced labor experience in Nazi Germany during World War II. In the 2026 shortlist, Kolbi's book shared space with 'No Place Like Home: Enemy Aliens in Canada During the Great War' by Bohdan Kordan and 'Red Harvest', a graphic novel by Mykhailo Cherkas. The judging panel this year included Kay Rollans, editor of Brush Education; Nigaaan Sinclair, a writer and professor at the University of Manitoba; and Myrna Kostash, a previous KOBZAR award recipient. The jury praised Kolbi's work for its blend of historical narrative and contemporary relevance. They described the book as innovative and insightful, skillfully intertwining personal stories across different timeframes. The jury noted that Kolbi's ability to portray traumatic events with tenderness and empathy adds beauty to the narrative. ## Why It Matters Kolbi's winning of the KOBZAR Book Award emphasizes the importance of recognizing Ukrainian experiences and histories, particularly those shaped by conflict and displacement. Such awards promote cultural awareness and acknowledge the contributions of Ukrainian-Canadian authors to literature. ## Background 'Chronicles of the Matryoshka' was published in 2023 by ECW Press in Canada, the USA, and the UK. It documents Kolbi's grandmother, Iryna Kylynich (Nekyforchuk), who at the age of 19 was captured in a Nazi raid and deported to Germany, where she worked at the Leica factory. The book also recounts the story of Elsa Kün-Leitz, heir to the Leica family, who aided Kolbi's grandmother and was later imprisoned by the Gestapo for her humanitarian actions. The KOBZAR Book Award has been awarded since 2003, highlighting significant literary contributions that resonate with the Ukrainian-Canadian community.