Biography
Tamara Gorikha Zernya (real name — Tamara Anatolyivna Duda) is a Ukrainian writer, translator, volunteer and laureate of the 2022 Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. Her work focuses on important social and historical issues, such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, family relationships and psychological trials of people in crisis situations.
Biography
She was born January 5, 1976 in Kyiv.
In 1992, she graduated from the Ukrainian Humanitarian Lyceum.
Since 1993, she studied at the Institute of Journalism of Kyiv University, which she graduated in 1998.
From 2003 to 2005, she continued her studies at Kyiv International University.
Writing and translation activities
Tamara Duda has been translating economic texts from English for more than 20 years. Her debut novel was "Daughter" (2019), which was awarded as BBC Book of the Year. The events of the novel take place against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian war of 2014 and reflect the tragedy and hope associated with the war in eastern Ukraine. The novel was published in Ukrainian and English, and its screen adaptation is planned.
In 2021, her second novel was published — "The Principle of Intervention". This is a detective about the main character Stanislava, who, after losing her husband in the war, goes to her hometown in Cherkasy region, where an investigation begins that reveals new secrets of her life.
Volunteer activity
Since 2014, Tamara Duda has been actively involved in volunteering in the ATO zone. For her volunteer work, she was awarded a certificate from the Mayor of Kyiv.
Awards and recognition
In 2021 Tamara Duda (as Tamara Gorikha Zernya) with the novel "Dotsia" was nominated for the 2022 Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in the "Literature" category. Her work was admitted to the second round of the competition and won victory.
Personal life
Tamara Duda is married and has three children.