Zlatica Rusová is a Slovak ficiton writer from a musical family; her grandfather was a renowned storyteller. After primary school, she worked in Piešťany as a labourer in a textile factory, and before retiring, she was employed in a hospital laundry.
Her motivation for writing is mainly to capture her grandfather's stories so that they are not forgotten. In the Czech Republic, Zlatica Rusová has published three stories in the journal of Romani studies Romano džaniben (“Sar o Rudi vitezinďa o lustro” / “How Rudo Won the Chandelier”; “Ko o Roma sjam” / “Who Are We, Gypsies”; Bela, 2009), and her short story “Romane romňa” / “Romani Women” was released on the Romea.cz website as part of the Šukar Laviben le Romendar / The Roma Also Write project (2010-2011). In 2021, it came out in print in the anthology Všude samá krása (Nothing but Beauty Everywhere, Kher, 2021) and was reprinted in 2025 in English translation in Velvet Blues (Kher). Zlatica Rusová is a member of the Roma Literary Club in Slovakia. She also regularly publishes in the almanacs published by the club.
Photo: Lukáš Houdek
