My name is Elena Violaris and I was born in Manchester, UK, to Greek Cypriot parents. I received my BA, MPhil and PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, and I'm now a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. I'm currently researching the experiences of British 'postmigrants': individuals born or raised in the UK with descent from different cultures. My research involves interviewing individuals with this background, and discussing literary fiction by authors including Kamila Shamsie, Monica Ali, Hanif Kureishi and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The project was inspired by the process of writing my novel, The Documentary, which is a work of literary fiction and magical realism. Probing the boundary between representing and re-enacting, The Documentary is the story of two sisters growing up between two cultures, and of their aunt's extreme determination to save her ancestral home.
