Set in Iasi, Romania. Reviewed on 2018/09: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_jjuTlZXN/
The best part about reading books which are set in neighboring cities or countries is that despite the writer’s nationality or ethnicity and regardless of the time of publication or period depicted in the book, the stories seem to be talking to each other. That feeling of endless dialogue is particularly vivid in these upcoming books which are now part of #myromanianweekend . A few days ago, I posted a review on #thecolorofsmoke by #lakatos in which a community of #gypsies have been forced to reckon with the rapid development of #wwii in Hungary. Here in #thegypsytribeby #zahariastancu a #shatra has been forced into #exile because of that same war which feels approaching and ominous. In so many ways, #stancu wrote a #cinametographic novel, almost at the #schindlerslist level. The descriptions and observations of the landscape they encounter in their wanderings are simply breathtaking and beautiful. So exquisite are they that you feel almost guilty reading these magnificent passages within a story plagued with death and killings. However I’d argue that Stancu wrote here a succession of characters not only coerced into death, but making death part of their lives to point of reveling in it. The #romaare constantly perceived by everyone else in the story to be about to face death. They are not considered human beings anymore. They are now walking dead bodies. But have they also internalized those same perceptions and prejudices to the point of making them their own?… Overall a splendid read albeit at times repetitive. It’s a story worth to be read by everyone and multiple times over. #highlyrecommended#tzigane #romaniliterature #gypsyliterature#romanianliterature #deportation#againstallodds
hebdo_readings 