Roma literature

[triestine.livejournal.com]

Greetings,

I have already gone on about this in my LJ and other networks so apologies to those I know from other places who will be seeing similar posts twice.

Today is the International Day of the Roma.

Now, my SEE country hasn't got a fantastic record in its treatment of our Roma compatriots, so when I try to keep up I do so through immediate means: newspapers, journals, debates, or other involvement. To my shame I have not, before I came across this community, thought of looking for fiction as another way of learning about the culture(s). Amazon is offering me "The Roads of the Roma: A PEN Anthology of Gypsy Writers" (no reviews) and Ian Hancock's - himself Romani - "We are the Romani People", and I am getting those, but I much prefer hearing recommendations from people in focused forums than from bookstores. Has anyone read something by a Romani author?

Thank you!

Comments

[thette.livejournal.com]

I loved the somewhat autobiographical Katitzi books by Katarina Taikon when I was a kid, but they don't seem to be translated, alas. (And I haven't read her other works, should probably go digging for them.)

[triestine.livejournal.com]

It looks like it was translated at least to German, which I can read. Thanks so much!

[imfallingup.livejournal.com]

No recommendations because to my knowledge/recollection I haven't read any, but I knew there had to be more to start from when searching online:

Wikipedia category of Romani writers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Romani_writers)
International Romani Writers Association (http://www.romaniwriters.com/about.htm)
This paper looks fascinating and may be a great resource when it comes out (http://www.routledgelinguistics.com/books/Romani-Writing-isbn9780415805902) or you could contact the author?
Article recommending a number of books/authors (http://www.salon.com/books/literary_guide/2007/01/10/gypsy/)

[triestine.livejournal.com]

Woah! Bless! *opens up tab bonanza*

[triestine.livejournal.com]

I often turn to Salon when off-the-beaten-path literary recs are needed. How did I miss this? It's obvious that I shouldn't do internet things first thing in the morning.

[imfallingup.livejournal.com]

Haha, no worries :P

[sanguinity]

No personal recs here, either, but I knew there was some stuff in the del.icio.us account.

Books from Nowhere (UK bookstore) has a selection of titles about the Travellers. Roma/Traveller authors on that page: Ian Hancock, Betsy Whyte, Sheila Stewart (Highland Traveller). Dominic Reeve was not born a Traveller but has lived most of his life as one. (That last normally wouldn't qualify for 50books_poc, but may qualify for what you're looking for.)

Also, Celebration of Women Writers has a very short list of Romani Writers.

[triestine.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean about books not qualifying; there are often confusions and overlapping between the people as defined by ethnicity, and as defined by lifestyle. I have never met Caucasian Travellers, but Reeve's book sounds interesting.

About the list of women writers being short, I think I should look up their names and then dig further; I know that there are many women artists, having attended exhibitions and been involved in some, so I'm certain writers aren't lacking. Thank you for the pointers!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Mateo Maximoff was an astonishing Roma writer who wrote in French, but I know that several of his books were translated into German. Die Ursitory, his first book, might be a good place to start--I think it was published in paperback sometime in the past 10 years.

[triestine.livejournal.com]

Both French and German are good (having to learn all these is a perk of living in a tiny country surrounded by more important ones), thank you!