I Met Lucky People
The Story of the Romani Gypsies
Published on 6. February 2014
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-84614-481-3 (ISBN)
Description
Their own origins myths put them at the scene of the Crucifixion, deprived of a home of their own, doomed to a life of wandering, and granted by God the right to steal from other people in order to survive. In the Middle Ages, it was believed they had come out of Egypt. And yet their language shares a number of words with Greek, and has its roots in India. So who are the Romani people, really?
As one of the last remaining societies in the Western hemisphere with a strictly oral culture, the Romani people have no written record of their history that can be consulted. From the early 1990s, linguist Yaron Matras has been working with the 'Rom', as they call themselves, one of a handful of people to have done so. Travelling widely in central and eastern Europe, studying their language and learning their dialects, he has witnessed their campaign for recognition. In I Met Lucky People Matras gives us the first comprehensive account of their culture, language and history. It is a story of the echoes of a rich past left in language and customs, and of how the changing fortunes of Europe throughout the centuries have been imprinted on Romani culture.
The Romani people are a nation like few others: without territory, national sovereignty or formal institutions, and with no tradition of agriculture or ownership of land. As the wider global society that surrounds them struggles to define itself, what will become of the Roms? Unlike other groups who have won a measure of inclusion in recent decades, they have struggled to have their voice heard. If they are to have a future, it is time we brought our thinking about them out of the dark ages and into the modern world.
Yaron Matras is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester, and Editor of the journal Romani Studies. His involvement with Romani issues began in the advocacy and civil rights arena. Matras was media relations officer to the Roma National Congress from 1988 -1995, and founding editor of RomNews, one of the very first advocacy information services on Romani issues. He has worked closely with the Open Society Institute's Roma programmes, is a founding member of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies, and has led several large-scale research projects on Romani language and culture, including an international research consortium on Romani migrations. He is the author of over a dozen books and numerous chapters and articles on Romani language and culture, and speaks the Romani language fluently.
As one of the last remaining societies in the Western hemisphere with a strictly oral culture, the Romani people have no written record of their history that can be consulted. From the early 1990s, linguist Yaron Matras has been working with the 'Rom', as they call themselves, one of a handful of people to have done so. Travelling widely in central and eastern Europe, studying their language and learning their dialects, he has witnessed their campaign for recognition. In I Met Lucky People Matras gives us the first comprehensive account of their culture, language and history. It is a story of the echoes of a rich past left in language and customs, and of how the changing fortunes of Europe throughout the centuries have been imprinted on Romani culture.
The Romani people are a nation like few others: without territory, national sovereignty or formal institutions, and with no tradition of agriculture or ownership of land. As the wider global society that surrounds them struggles to define itself, what will become of the Roms? Unlike other groups who have won a measure of inclusion in recent decades, they have struggled to have their voice heard. If they are to have a future, it is time we brought our thinking about them out of the dark ages and into the modern world.
Yaron Matras is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester, and Editor of the journal Romani Studies. His involvement with Romani issues began in the advocacy and civil rights arena. Matras was media relations officer to the Roma National Congress from 1988 -1995, and founding editor of RomNews, one of the very first advocacy information services on Romani issues. He has worked closely with the Open Society Institute's Roma programmes, is a founding member of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies, and has led several large-scale research projects on Romani language and culture, including an international research consortium on Romani migrations. He is the author of over a dozen books and numerous chapters and articles on Romani language and culture, and speaks the Romani language fluently.
Reviews / Votes
Compassionate and knowledgeable ... Yaron Matras is an authority on gypsies * London Evening Standard * a historical and linguistic survey of the Roma ... at its best ... it homes in on the possibility that the Roma problem has nothing to do with the Roma, but with the "paradigmatic dilemma" they raise * Guardian * As the title of his book suggests, the Roma are lucky in their strong family values, their international outlook and their strong survival instinct. But as Matras also makes clear, those of us who have met and made friends among the Roma people are also lucky * Telegraph * Yaron Matras skilfully debunks the numerous myths surrounding Romani life, and reveals the history and diversity of this culture across the world. The portraits of Romani people are sparky and thought-provoking ... required reading for anyone who presumes to have views on Romani Gypsies * Financial Times * Romani history is unseen and unrecognised. Matras synthesises what facts we have to create a visible, compelling record * Independent * When students, journalists and policy-makers approach me enquiring about a definitive book on 'The Roma' I will always tell them it does not exist. Instead, I suggest they visit their local library and read widely and then speak with the Roma, Gypsies and Travellers that will doubtless be staying in their own towns and cities. After making this important point regarding direct contact, I will then point them to the likes of Angus Fraser's book, The Gypsies. Now, however, I will direct such interested parties to Yaron Matras's exceptional new book I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies. Written in a direct, accessible and informed manner, this text should be seen as the literary starting point for all serious enquiries regarding Europe's largest minority population, the Roma. For a linguist, Matras is no slouch as a critical social scientist and the commitment, passion and intellect on the pages of this book will hopefully inspire readers to see 'The Roma', in all their diverse groupings and communities, in a new, informed light. I recommend this text without reservation * Colin Clark, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy University of the West of Scotland *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
523 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84614-481-3 (9781846144813)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2014
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Yaron Matras is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester, and Editor of the journal Romani Studies. His involvement with Romani issues began in the advocacy and civil rights arena. Matras was media relations officer to the Roma National Congress from 1988 -1995, and founding editor of RomNews, one of the very first advocacy information services on Romani issues. He has worked closely with the Open Society Institute's Roma programmes, is a founding member of the European Academic Network on Romani Studies, and has led several large-scale research projects on Romani language and culture, including an international research consortium on Romani migrations. He is the author of over a dozen books and numerous chapters and articles on Romani language and culture, and speaks the Romani language fluently.