Alessio Paša is a 71-year-old Italian open water swimmer who regularly competes in the sea and lakes, but he also writes…a lot.
Paša has published 14 novels between 2007 and 2026. The first ten novels were published by small and small publishers; the last four were self-published: Helga G., My House in Muzawa – An Extreme Humanitarian Mission, The Twin Brother, and The Great Swim – which was just released in English.
The Great Swim is a story about a 22-year-old female woman and a 34-year-old male swimmer. They plan a 41.3 km unescorted, self-supported swim on a new moonlit night, without a safety buoy, goggles, escort boat, watch, compass, any other tracking device, swimsuit or swim cap.
Paša explains, “The decision to undertake such a dangerous challenge and the preparation phase are intertwined with the personal stories of the two protagonists because, as highlighted on the back cover of the book, open-water swimmers experience no distinction between being a person and a swimmer; they are a single entity, facing everyday existence as they would a swim in the sea or lakes.
It is the story of an impossible swimming feat. The two protagonists, Mirko, 34, and Arianna, 22, sign up for the challenge and, in less than a month, amidst countless difficulties and setbacks, prepare to face it.
The story narrated is that of the genesis and development of a sporting project that truly belongs among the extreme sports and, at the same time, is the account of the moods, aspirations, and existential challenges of the two protagonists.
For Mirko and Arianna, the separation between being an athlete and being a man and a woman becomes increasingly blurred as the day set for the feat approaches, until it disappears completely. When they dive in, the two protagonists will be one. The competitor has become a person, and the human being has become an athlete.”
The book is available on Amazon, both in paperback here and as an e-book here.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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