''Zoli'' is a novel by
Colum McCann. It follows the life of Marienka Novotna, nicknamed "Zoli", a Slovak
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
woman, from her childhood in the 1930s, through her exile in the 1950s, to her late adult life. Although Zoli is a fictional character, her life is loosely based on that of the Polish Romani poet
Papusza (Bronisława Wajs).
''Zoli'' explores the
persecution of the Roma faced during World War II, as well as the impact of totalitarianism on
Romani culture
The Romani people are a distinct ethnic and cultural group of peoples living all across the globe, who share a family of languages and sometimes a traditional nomadic mode of life. Though their exact origins are unclear, central India is a not ...
and lifestyles and experiences of otherness and marginalisation faced by Romani people in Europe. The novel is written from multiple perspectives, that include both first and third person narration.
See also
*
Fictional representations of Roma
Many fictional depictions of the Romani in literature and art present Romanticized narratives of their supposed mystical powers of fortune telling, and their supposed irascible or passionate temper paired with an indomitable love of freedom and ...
External links
Review of ''Zoli'' at Canada.comCompilation of Newspaper reviews at ReviewsOfBooks.com"Colum McCann's top 10 novels on poets" ''The Guardian'', 3 October 2006
Radio interview Bookworm, 22 March 2007
Interview The Morning News, 3 May 2007
2006 American novels
Fictional representations of Romani people
Irish-American novels
Novels set in Europe
Novels set during World War II
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