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Ray Arco, journalist, and reporter for the Hollywood Foreign Press interviews Princess Eleonora Borisovna Kantemir, author of ‘Iron Blood - 300 Years of the Dmitri Kantemir Dynasty’ book, which includes the story of finding her long lost sister after 50 years in Azerbaijan.

Question: When did you first learn that you had a sister in Azerbaijan?

Answer: My family was living in America as refugees. I was five years old at the time. My father just learned his mother died in a Siberian camp.

It prompted him to say.....

“Ella, that is not all. I left something else behind in the Soviet Union,” continued papa. He took a tattered photograph from his shirt pocket. “This is your sister.”

I looked at the worn photograph, a picture of a blonde toddler with uneven cut bangs across her forehead and a bandanna around her neck. We eerily looked similar.

“I cut her bangs myself and put that bandanna around her neck for the photograph,” papa said proudly.

I was not shocked or surprised by this new revelation. I was proud that papa thought I was grown up enough to understand such complicated things in life. I wanted to learn all there was about my newly found sister.

“Papa, how old is she?” I brought my knees to my chin, hugging them tighter as I waited for his answer.

“She is nine years older than you. She is fifteen years old now,” replied father.

“I have a teenage sister in Russia!” I exclaimed excitedly. “What is her name?”

“You and her share the same name, “Eleonora Borisovna,” was the reply.

“So, there are two of us, Papa?”

“Yes, you were named after your sister,” he said as he returned the photograph to his shirt pocket. “I always carry this picture with me, here in my left shirt pocket, close to my heart.”

(Excerpt from Iron Blood)

Now, Azerbaijan is independent and no longer part of the Soviet Union. It’s independence greatly contributed to finding my sister, so you see the independence day of Azerbaijan, October 18 has great meaning for me, and for that I shall ever be grateful.

Q.: How did the reunion come about after 50 years?

A.: That is an amazing story, which to this day I consider a miracle. The best way to begin is with a excerpt from Iron Blood...

‘As I stooped down to gather the pile of mail junk that had accumulated, I noticed a worn envelope protruding from the stack. I pulled it out. The envelope was slightly torn, and had several writings on it. A foreign stamp in the upper right corner was visible. It appeared to have been misdirected. It could not be for me. I examined it further. The letter was initially sent to my old address and had been forwarded to my current one. The return address was in written in Cyrillic, however something more interesting appeared. Across the envelope written in English was a bold plea; PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY LOST RELATIVES.’

Q. So, eventually you were reunited with your sister after 50 years?

A. Yes, in Baku. It was quite emotional as described in the book.

Q. You just returned from a visit to Baku. Tell me about it.

A.: It was a joyous occasion, as we celebrated my sister’s 79th birthday.

We drove through downtown Baku, walked the Boulevard. It was incredible and wonderful not to only see my sister once more, but the changes in the city. Baku has become so metropolitan with many tourists now. I believe it is the most beautiful city in the world, and it is the cleanest as well.

Q. Your ancestors are well noted in history. You write about them extensively. How does your writing differ from all others published about them?

A. I put flesh on the bones, sort to speak. I make them come alive again to tell their story.

The anguish of Antioch Kantemir, the doomed romance of Maria Kantemir and Peter the Great, the genius of Dmitri Kantemir and of his 22 years of exile in Istanbul, where he becomes an expert on Ottoman music and of his time in the courts of the Sultans. Magically, they come to life again, pulling the reader into their world and into a time that once was.

Q.: What are your future goals?

A.: Of course, to visit Baku and my sister once more. In addition, I would love to have a sponsored book signing/meet&greet in Baku, so I can share this historical memoir in a city with its’ own unique and ancient history - Azerbaijan, the cultural jewel of the continents.

‘IRON BLOOD - 300 YEARS OF THE DMITRI KANTEMIR DYNASTY’ IS AVAILABLE ON: WWW.AMAZON.COM

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