Hellheavenparadise / To Be, or not to Be? / Gypsy Narrations and More…

The editor PhDr. Mirka Preussová (Erika Manuš) builds on authentic form of Romany fairy tales, myths and stories. Rather than using their codified versions, she collects her material directly while working with the vivid memory of people – the members of Romany community who remember the fairy tales by heart and pass them from generation to generation. These texts represent a colourful, abstract history of a journey, of living together and living apart, of wisdom and slyness but all above, of hope. Very important role in this book play Rudolf Dzurko’s narrative carvings (e.g. “I burnt potatoes, my dear”, “Ouch, there is a devil in my ear”, “Shut up”...); personal myths that create a unique coupling of artistic expression with Dzurko’s antecedent story. The book sensitively links the memory and present. To the attentive reader, it offers a clue to understanding attitudes of members of the Romany ethnic group.