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Gypsies have long been a source of both fascinationa and fear.
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Gypsies have been a part of the British and European social fabric for centuries – and have faced prejudice and oppression for nearly as long, since at least the time of Henry VIII. Theirs is a peripatetic existence, dwelling in tents and in caravans and living often precariously at the edges of towns and villages, moving on in search of opportunities or as mainstream society drives them away. Gypsies of Britain explores the history of this unique lifestyle, looking at how Gypsies have maintained their distinctive culture and how they have adapted to the twenty-first century, and shedding light on a range of traditional Gypsy occupations including harvesting, horse-dealing, fortune-telling and rat-catching. Archive illustrations and modern photographs depict their lives, work and ornately carved and painted caravans.
A masterful work of personal reportage, this volume is also a vibrant portrait of a mysterious people and an essential document of a disappearing culture. Fabled, feared, romanticized, and reviled, the Gypsies—or Roma—are among the least understood people on earth. Their culture remains largely obscure, but in Isabel Fonseca they have found an eloquent witness. In Bury Me Standing, alongside unforgettable portraits of individuals—the poet, the politician, the child prostitute—Fonseca offers sharp insights into the humor, language, wisdom, and taboos of the Roma. She traces their exodus out of India 1,000 years ago and their astonishing history of persecution: enslaved by the princes of medieval Romania; massacred by the Nazis; forcibly assimilated by the communist regimes; evicted from their settlements in Eastern Europe, and most recently, in Western Europe as well. Whether as handy scapegoats or figments of the romantic imagination, the Gypsies have always been with us—but never before have they been brought so vividly to life. Includes fifty black and white photos.
'I needed to get to the stopping places, so I needed to get on the road. It was the road where I might at last find out where I belonged.' Damian Le Bas grew up surrounded by Gypsy history. His great-grandmother would tell him stories of her childhood in the ancient Romani language; the places they worked, the ways they lived, the superstitions and lores of their people. In a bid to better understand his heritage, Damian sets out on a journey to discover the stopping places – the old encampment sites known only to Travellers. Through winter frosts and summer dawns, from horse fairs to Gypsy churches, Damian lives on the road, somewhere between the romanticised Gypsies of old, and their much-maligned descendants of today. ‘A beautiful writer who seems born to tell this fascinating story’ Amy Liptrot Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize
**SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH** 'It was a revelation. Moving, terrifying, funny and brilliant. I shall never forget it - an amazing achievement' STEPHEN FRY 'Brash and frightening and funny' NEW YORK TIMES * * * * * * The Sunday Times bestselling Gypsy Boy was the first commercial memoir written by someone on the inside of the notoriously secretive culture of the Romany Gypsies. MIKEY WAS BORN into a Romany Gypsy family. They live in a closeted community, and little is known about their way of life. After centuries of persecution Gypsies are wary of outsiders and if you choose to leave you can never come back. This is something Mikey knows only too well. Growing up, he rarely went to school, and seldom mixed with non-Gypsies. The caravan and camp were his world. But although Mikey inherited a vibrant and loyal culture, his family's legacy was bittersweet with a hidden history of grief and abuse. Eventually Mikey was forced to make an agonising decision - to stay and keep secrets, or escape and find somewhere he could truly belong. Mikey's amazing story is continued in the sequel Gypsy Boy on the Run.
You are never alone... whatever your nationality, religion or belief, you have a spirit guide to assist your journey through life. A spirit guide doesn't have to be dead - everything that lives has a spirit that could potentially be a spiritual guide including pets and animals, plants, and elemental and otherworldly spirit allies. We can also be our own guides, and be guides to other people. This collection of spirit guide encounters from around the world will inspire you in your own quest for spirit guide contact with practical 'how to' advice. Learn how to recognise the signs and talk with the spirit beings guiding your life. This diverse collection of over 40 experiences, united in one book, will inspire you on your spiritual path to know that you are not alone, but that we are 'all-one'.
This is a timely collection of Ian Hancock's selected writings. His impact upon Romani Studies has been truly remarkable, both in terms of his contributions to linguistics and Gypsy historiography and in his re-assessment of Romani identity within the Western cultural fabric