The Rom: Walking in the Paths of the Gypsies
by Roger Moreau
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Description
In the spring of 1990, Roger Moreau left a successful career in international marketing, packed his bags, and went to India. His singular purpose: to unlock one of the world's great unsolved mysteries, the origins and earliest history of the Gypsies. The Rom, "children of the wind," capture our imaginations as do no other people and, although theories abound about their origins, all that is really known is that they migrated from northern India sometime between the eighth and thirteenth show more centuries surfacing in Greece in the 1300s. Their tribe or caste, the circumstances of their exodus and their eventual diaspora remain a source of rich speculation to this day. Armed with insatiable curiosity, a keen sense of humor and three wonderful, highly improbable traveling companions, the author set out to solve this ancient mystery, his journey taking him from Rajasthan province in Northwestern India to Istanbul in Turkey. Immersed in exotic, often mystical surroundings, informed by strange and remarkable encounters along the way, he leads us on the incredible and at times tortuous trek of the people of the kalo rat (dark blood), whose birth, he concludes, took place nearly a thousand years ago in the world's first concentration camp, an Afghan desert aptly named Dasht i Nawar, Desert of the Gypsies. Along the way, his quest, and his recording of it in this book, would change his life. show lessTags
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In hopes of gaining insights into the diaspora of the Romany people, the author decides to undertake a journey to retrace the route that they are believed to have taken when traveling westward from India many centuries ago.
For my full-length detailed review, please see http://www.shira.net/books/breviews/moreau-gypsies.htm
For my full-length detailed review, please see http://www.shira.net/books/breviews/moreau-gypsies.htm
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Author Information
1 Work 49 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1995
- People/Characters
- Gopi Lal; Patsi; Seelya Gaduliya Lohar
- Important places
- Jaisalmar; Dasht i Nawar
- Epigraph
- Before the creation of man, heaven and earth dwelt as a married couple and lived together in peace.
They had five sons: Mist King, Fire King, Wind King, Moon King, and Sun King.
The Rom ascribe their wandering h... (show all)abits to the constant movement of the planets. The sun - the glorious Cham - was originally a Gypsy King eternally seeking to seduce Shion, his lovely sister, the moon. - Dedication
- To Meredith, who kept the flame burning.
- First words
- Ever since I can remember, the Gypsies have fascinated me.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Bolted for dear life, darling."
Classifications
- Genres
- Anthropology, Nonfiction, History, Travel, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 909.0491497 — History & geography History World history History with respect to ethnic and national groups Other Other Indo-Europeans people South Indians Romani (Gypsies)
- LCC
- DX135 .M67 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania History of the Romani people History of Romanies
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 49
- Popularity
- 614,073
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.80)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
