Všude samá krása – Šiklová Tereza (2021)

This Czech-language collection of twenty-two stories presents the lives of people who are still overlooked and viewed as existing outside the course of history. The dramatic, moving and humorous stories of Roma families and small ethnic enclaves unfold against the backdrop of major historical events, from Austria-Hungary through the Nazi occupation, postwar migration from Slovakia to Bohemia, normalization and the changes after 1989. Twenty authors open the doors of their homes and independently portray unique family histories in which certain themes recur with striking frequency. Through these repetitions, they reveal how the upheavals of the 20th century affected Czechoslovak Roma, while also showing that they were far more than passive victims and often important co-creators of events. Through personal and family stories, the collection presents the past century from the perspective of the Roma living here and suggests the origins and depth of many misunderstandings that still hinder dialogue and mutual understanding. It offers insight into how Roma people lived alongside the majority, what values they share and how they preserved their distinct culture. Established writers including Andrej Giňa, Gejza Horváth, Jan Horváth, Emil Cina, Erika Olahová, Ilona Ferková, Irena Eliášová, Zlatica Rusová, Jana Hejkrlíková, Eva Danišová and Iveta Kokyová appear alongside less widely known authors and newcomers. Their stories draw on the traditional genre vakeribena pal o dada, or stories about ancestors, through which Roma families passed the experiences of earlier generations to the next and recorded memories of their closest relatives.