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A unique love story, a tale of loss, a parable of Europe, this haunting novel is an examination of intimacy and betrayal in a community rarely captured so vibrantly in contemporary literature. Zoli Novotna, a young woman raised in the traveling Gypsy tradition, is a poet by accident as much as desire. As 1930s fascism spreads over Czechoslovakia, Zoli and her grandfather flee to join a clan of fellow Romani harpists. Sharpened by the world of books, which is often frowned upon in the Romani tradition, Zoli becomes the poster girl for a brave new world. As she shapes the ancient songs to her times, she finds her gift embraced by the Gypsy people and savored by a young English expatriate, Stephen Swann. But Zoli soon finds that when she falls she cannot fall halfway--neither in love nor in politics. While Zoli's fame and poetic skills deepen, the ruling Communists begin to use her for their own favor. Cast out from her family, Zoli abandons her past to journey to the West, in a novel that spans the 20th century and travels the breadth of Europe.Colum McCann, acclaimed author of Dancer and This Side of Brightness, has created a sensuous novel about exile, belonging and survival, based loosely on the true story of the Romani poet Papsuza. It spans the twentieth century and travels the breadth of Europe. In the tradition of Steinbeck, Coetzee, and Ondaatje, McCann finds the art inherent in social and political history, while vividly depicting how far one gifted woman must journey to find where she belongs.From the Hardcover edition.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Fiction, Journalists, Romanies, Slovak Women poets, Irish Travellers (Nomadic people), Irish Women poets, Social conditions, History, Grandparent and child, Women poets, Large type books, Fiction, general, Czech republic, fiction, Journalists, fictionPlaces
Europe, CzechoslovakiaTimes
20th centuryShowing 6 featured editions. View all 6 editions?
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- Created April 30, 2008
- 6 revisions
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August 4, 2013 | Edited by VacuumBot | Updated format 'Audio Cassette' to 'Audio cassette'; Removed author from Edition (author found in Work) |
April 28, 2011 | Edited by OCLC Bot | Added OCLC numbers. |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
April 30, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |