logo
Book Review: Madeline Potter's 'The Roma' blends memoir and research to look at a marginalized group

Book Review: Madeline Potter's 'The Roma' blends memoir and research to look at a marginalized group

'The Roma: A Travelling History' is a fascinating look at a marginalized and misunderstood group of people who have encountered hostility for centuries.
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.
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.'
___
AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Justin Timberlake leaves fans fuming after barely singing during festival concert
Justin Timberlake leaves fans fuming after barely singing during festival concert

Fox News

time7 hours ago

  • Fox News

Justin Timberlake leaves fans fuming after barely singing during festival concert

Fans called out Justin Timberlake for not singing during a concert in Romania. Timberlake performed at the Electric Castle festival, but many weren't pleased with his performance. In one video, the pop singer can be heard continuously telling the audience to sing while walking around the stage and occasionally dancing. "When you pay for a concert but get a mute singer," a fan wrote while sharing the video on TikTok. "Dude took a day off on stage…" Users flooded the comments with jokes about the performance. "So y'all went to karaoke?" one wrote, while another added: "This performance could've been an email." "It looks like he doesn't even care," one user said. And another wrote: "So basically u paid ur ticket to listen to urself." "I would 100% request a refund," another chimed in. Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for Timberlake for comment. Timberlake was in Romania as part of the European Leg of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour. The "Cry Me a River" singer will head to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey next. Timberlake's tour was almost derailed after the singer was arrested for DWI in June 2024. The former *NSYNC member pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "driving while ability impaired" and was given community service. Timberlake addressed reporters after his hearing. The musician made a public apology and gave a drunk-driving PSA as required in his plea agreement. "So I don't, I don't know how many of you were in the courtroom and heard what I had to say in the courtroom, but I'll reiterate that and say this to you. Many of you have probably been covering me for a lot of my life. And as you may know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard for myself. And this was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision, but I've had some time to reflect on that." "And I also understand by, you know, the fact that all of you are here, that I have a platform, you have a platform, we share that platform. And so what I like to say to everyone watching and listening, even if you've had one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car. There's so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There's many travel apps … take a taxi."

King Charles told actor he's related to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula: book
King Charles told actor he's related to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula: book

Fox News

timea day ago

  • Fox News

King Charles told actor he's related to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula: book

King Charles isn't shy about sinking his teeth into royal history. Actor Luke Evans wrote a memoir that was published this year, titled "Boy from the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey." In it, the 46-year-old wrote about being invited to a Prince's Trust gala dinner at The Savoy Hotel in London in 2014, where he met the former Prince Charles. It was there that he learned the British royal was related to the real-life Dracula. Evans recalled how the now-76-year-old gave him "a good, strong handshake" and asked what he was working on. At the time, the Welsh star had just finished filming "Dracula Untold," where he played Vlad Tepes III, also known as Vlad the Impaler. The 15th-century Romanian warlord inspired the 1897 novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker about the vampire Count Dracula. Evans wrote that upon hearing this, the king's "eyes lit up," as quoted by People. According to the outlet, Charles said, "I'll tell you an interesting story. I'm actually related to Vlad Tepes." "To my astonishment, he then proceeded to talk me through his entire lineage, all the way back to the 1400s," Evans recalled, as quoted by the outlet. "He told me he now owns a number of properties in Romania, where Vlad was ruler." Evans told Charles it was "the most incredible story." The king replied, "Yes, and not a lot of people know it." He then smiled and walked away. "I noticed he had stayed a little longer with me than he had with other guests, probably because we had this fascinating thing to talk about," Evans wrote. The Prince's Trust, now called the King's Trust, was founded by the monarch in 1976. The charity's goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the U.K. Evans served as an ambassador. Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Charles' love for Romania runs deep in his veins. "We first discovered Vlad the Impaler's connection to Charles when we explored the bloodline of Prince George after he was born [in 2013]," Turner explained, referring to the monarch's grandson. "Charles still visits his holiday home in Romania each year." "Perhaps all those wishing to oppose or suppress his wishes should have second thoughts, fearing his ancestral blood," Turner joked. WATCH: 'DRACULA' STAR BELA LUGOSI 'EXAGGERATED' HIS DRUG ADDICTION: AUTHOR British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Charles loves to share the fun fact about his heritage. "Even Romanian officials have publicly acknowledged this by jesting he's the 'Prince of Transylvania,'" she shared. "The king has an affection for rural Transylvania, in particular, where he has property holdings." In 2023, the king declared his "love" for and "deep connection" to Romania when he attended a reception at Cotroceni Palace to celebrate his close ties to the nation, The Telegraph reported. The outlet noted that it marked his first trip abroad since being crowned king that year. Romania remains one of Charles' favorite countries where he could seek refuge and privacy. According to the outlet, he owns at least 10 properties in the country and makes an annual trip to hike and paint. His countryside home has no Wi-Fi, TV or radio, allowing him to completely disconnect. The outlet noted that there is a "small hi-fi player with CDs" in the drawing room. In 2017, the mayor of the city of Alba Iulia claimed they invited Charles to accept the honorary title of Prince of Transylvania. Fox News Digital reached out to see if the offer still stands for the monarch.

Hungary bans Irish rap group Kneecap from entering ahead of festival performance
Hungary bans Irish rap group Kneecap from entering ahead of festival performance

Washington Post

time2 days ago

  • Washington Post

Hungary bans Irish rap group Kneecap from entering ahead of festival performance

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Members of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap were banned from entering Hungary ahead of their scheduled performance at the popular Sziget Festival as authorities argued the musicians' presence in the country would constitute a risk to national security. The Belfast trio, scheduled to play on Sziget's closing day on Aug. 11, is known for anarchic energy, satirical lyrics and use of symbolism associated with the Irish republican movement, which seeks to unite Northern Ireland , currently part of the U.K., with the Republic of Ireland .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store