Book Review: Madeline Potter's ‘The Roma' blends memoir and research to look at a marginalized group
Written by Madeline Potter, a scholar of 19th century Gothic literature, the new book recounts how members of the group long have been maligned, enslaved, deported and murdered.
Potter, who grew up Romani in post-Communist Romania, weaves together bits of memoir with her archival research into what is described as the first contemporary history of the Romani people.
Instead of being raised in an intricately carved horse-drawn 'vardo' that traveled from camp to camp, Potter passed her childhood 'settled' in a towering Soviet-style high-rise, a more typical upbringing as the Romani people increasingly leave life on the road to become settled.
In her book, Potter carries us from England, where she currently lives, to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Germany France, Spain, the U.S. West Coast and finally to Sweden.
Potter tells of how King Henry VIII passed the 'Egyptians Act' in 1530, calling for the Gypsy people to be expelled from England due to their alleged crimes, including 'robberies,' 'Palmistry' and 'deceit.' Believed to have migrated from northern India to Europe some 1,500 years ago, and with a language rooted in Sanskrit, the Roma at one time were thought to have originated in Egypt.
In Spain, they have been known as Gitanos. During Spain's 1749 'Gran Redada de Gitanos' — Great Gypsy Roundup, some 10,000 Roma were detained, and families were separated, with the men sent to work in shipyards and the women and children to factories.
In Nazi Germany, the Reich Office for Combating the Gypsy Menace set the scene for the Roma and related Sinti people to be rounded up and sent to concentration camps alongside Jews, members of the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities. As many as 500,000 Roma and Sinti are estimated to have been murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during that period.
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Despite the continued discrimination, the Roma have made important cultural contributions, Potter writes.
Potter mentions Carmen Amaya, a Spanish Romani who was known in the mid-20th century as the world's best flamenco dancer. Composer Franz Liszt was so enamored of Hungarian Roma traditions that he absorbed them into his 19th century work.
'There is much sadness in our history, and much pain,' Potter writes. 'But importantly it's not pain that beats at the heart of our story. On each step of my journey, I encountered the wondrous stories of those who have decisively resisted their marginalization, who have refused to be silent and whose stories continue to inspire the Roma today.'
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AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Roman era mosaic panel with erotic theme that was stolen during Second World War returns to Pompeii
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Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The artwork was repatriated from Germany through diplomatic channels, arranged by the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart, Germany, after having been returned from the heirs of the last owner, a deceased German citizen. The owner had received the mosaic as a gift from a Wehrmacht captain, assigned to the military supply chain in Italy during the war. The mosaic — dating between mid- to last century B.C. and the first century — is considered a work of 'extraordinary cultural interest,' experts said. 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Authorities carried out the necessary checks to establish its authenticity and provenance, and then worked to repatriate the mosaic in September 2023. A Roman mosaic depicting a pair of lovers, which was repatriated from Germany, is displayed to journalists in the auditorium of Pompeii archaeological park, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Photo by Gregorio Borgia / AP The collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii was also key, as it made it possible to trace it to near the Mount Vesuvius volcano, despite the scarcity of data on the original context of its discovery, the Carabinieri said. The panel was then assigned to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii where, suitably catalogued, it will be protected and available for educational and research purposes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Today's return is like healing an open wound,' Zuchtriegel said, adding that the mosaic allows to reconstruct the story of that period, the first century A.D., before Pompeii was destroyed by the Vesuvius eruption in A.D. 79. The park's director also highlighted how the return by the heirs of its owner signals an important change in 'mentality,' as 'the sense of possession (of stolen art) becomes a heavy burden.' 'We see that often in the many letters we receive from people who may have stolen just a stone, to bring home a piece of Pompeii,' Zuchtriegel said. He recalled the so-called 'Pompeii curse,' which according to a popular superstition hits whoever steals artifacts in Pompeii. The world-known legend suggests that those who steal finds from the ancient city of Pompeii will experience bad luck or misfortune. That has been fueled over the years by several tourists who return stolen items, claiming they brought them bad luck and caused tragic events. 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Winnipeg Free Press
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