The Roma
A Travelling History
Published on 28. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-5299-6724-1 (ISBN)
Description
A profoundly personal and moving portrait of a misunderstood people and their on-going journey - shedding new light on Romani history and what it means to be Romani in Europe today.
'Fascinating' TELEGRAPH
'An exhilarating history of resistance and survival' OBSERVER
The Romani story is not widely known, and that invisibility has allowed fear and hostility to thrive. The Roma, full of extraordinary individuals and hitherto ignored moments from history, corrects this.
We meet the artist who chronicled her experiences of the Holocaust in Austria; the boxer who should have become Germany's light-heavyweight champion only to have his win scratched from the record by the Nazis; and a eighteenth-century woman in London who was sentenced to death for kidnapping to be exonerated by the detective work of an unconvinced judge. Throughout, Madeline Potter weaves in her travels though Romani Europe and experience as a Romani woman in Romania and in Britain.
Blending evocative history and lyrical travel writing with intimate accounts of racism and calls for change, The Roma is a powerful story of resistance, resilience and survival - and a celebration of a vibrant culture and misunderstood people.
'A fascinating look at a marginalised and misunderstood people' DAILY MAIL
'Wise and beautiful' JO CLEMENT, author of Outlandish
'Epic in scale and ambition ... Utterly compelling' LANRE BAKARE, author of We Were There
'A book to be treasured' BIDISHA, broadcaster and presenter
'Fascinating' TELEGRAPH
'An exhilarating history of resistance and survival' OBSERVER
The Romani story is not widely known, and that invisibility has allowed fear and hostility to thrive. The Roma, full of extraordinary individuals and hitherto ignored moments from history, corrects this.
We meet the artist who chronicled her experiences of the Holocaust in Austria; the boxer who should have become Germany's light-heavyweight champion only to have his win scratched from the record by the Nazis; and a eighteenth-century woman in London who was sentenced to death for kidnapping to be exonerated by the detective work of an unconvinced judge. Throughout, Madeline Potter weaves in her travels though Romani Europe and experience as a Romani woman in Romania and in Britain.
Blending evocative history and lyrical travel writing with intimate accounts of racism and calls for change, The Roma is a powerful story of resistance, resilience and survival - and a celebration of a vibrant culture and misunderstood people.
'A fascinating look at a marginalised and misunderstood people' DAILY MAIL
'Wise and beautiful' JO CLEMENT, author of Outlandish
'Epic in scale and ambition ... Utterly compelling' LANRE BAKARE, author of We Were There
'A book to be treasured' BIDISHA, broadcaster and presenter
Reviews / Votes
An exhilarating history of resistance and survival of a people who have refused to be defined by their persecutors * Observer * A book that will inspire and inform. Madeline Potter helps us absorb the atmosphere of Romani communities through the stories of prominent Romani individuals as she shares an engaging and illuminating experience that spans different places and times and offers insights into culture and history -- Yaron Martas, author of I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies The Roma: A Travelling History is a brilliant and vital exploration that intertwines Madeline Potter's personal journey with the rich, often overlooked history of the Roma people. Through compelling accounts and vivid narratives, it challenges stereotypes, revealing the Roma's resilience while rejecting romanticism and fear-based portrayals. As MP Jo Cox said, 'We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us'-a truth that resonates powerfully throughout this captivating invitation to see the Roma in their full humanity -- Professor David Morley, author of Furu By turns heartbreaking and hopeful, this book takes us on a journey through centuries of Romani history and culture. Madeline Potter celebrates the resilience and beauty of the Roma, while bearing witness to the trauma of fairly relentless persecution. In the face of modern far-right politics, The Roma feels urgent and necessary -- Tabitha Stanmore, author of Cunning Folk Epic in scale and ambition, Madeline Potter's The Roma belongs alongside TR Fehrenbach's Comanches as an extraordinary history of a misunderstood people. Potter's lucid prose creates a history that doubles as an utterly compelling personal journey -- Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There Here, the past speaks to the present. The Roma mingles fireside tales, testimony and sound historical research. This wise and beautiful book has not left my side -- Jo Clement, author of Outlandish Evocative and intriguing. The Roma lets the reader in on a world which is at once intimate and wide-ranging, magical yet ruggedly realistic. I was moved by Potter's love for her heritage, as well as her rigour in watering her roots. As a tribute to storytelling and as a personal journey alike, this book is to be treasured -- Bidisha Like the Roma themselves, this book refuses to be bordered by expectation ... This is a memoir that redefines what it is to be the Romany-Gypsy Other, as well as being an enchanting history of a people and travel journal too ... The Roma offers a bold Romani lens that lyrically preserves our fragmented oral histories [and] invites readers on a journey along the often hidden paths of the Roma -- Karen Downs-Barton, author of Minx Fascinating ... Madeline Potter travels across 10 countries and digs up plenty of dark and surprising history -- Sara Wheeler * Telegraph * A fascinating look at a marginalized and misunderstood group of people * Daily Mail *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
208 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-6724-1 (9781529967241)
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
Person
Madeline Potter was born in Romania in 1989 and grew up Romani in nineties post-Communist Romania. She now lives in Scotland and is a scholar of nineteenth-century literature at the University of Edinburgh, having earned her PhD from the University of York in 2020. Her academic monograph, THEOLOGICAL MONSTERS, will be published in 2024. THE ROMA: A TRAVELLING HISTORY is her first trade book.