Všude samá krása (Nothing but Beauty Everywhere)

The sometimes dramatic, other times moving or humorous small histories of Romani families and ethnic enclaves against the backdrop of large historical events, from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Nazi occupation, post-war migration from Slovakia to Bohemia, normalization, and post-1989 changes: this, in a nutshell, is the collection of short stories Všude samá krása - 20. století v povídkách romských autorů (Nothing But Beauty Everywhere - The 20th Century in Short Stories by Romani Writers). In it, twenty Romani writers literally open the doors of their homes and speak to the universally humane in each of us.

Through individual and family stories, the collection shows the past century from the perspective of the local Roma and offers a glimpse of the origins and depth of many misunderstandings that still hinder successful dialogue and understanding today. At the same time, each of the writers invites the readers to their kitchen table, providing them with a unique opportunity to learn about their daily lives. This enriches the majority’s understanding of how the Roma actually lived alongside of them, how they managed to preserve their unique culture and what values the two communities share.

The doyens of Romani literature Andrej Giňa, Gejza Horváth, Jan Horváth and Emil Cina; established writers Erika Olahová, Ilona Ferková, Irena Eliášová, Zlatica Rusová, Jana Hejkrlíková, Eva Danišová and Michal Šamko; those who have not yet received wider recognition such as Květoslava Podhradská, Olga Fečová, Markéta Šestáková, Iveta Kováčová, Věra Horváthová Duždová, Eva Kropiwnická and Patrik Banga; and complete newcomers Marie Siváková and Monika Hejduková – they were all inspired by vakeribena pal o dada (stories about ancestors), a traditional folk genre practised in Romani families, by means of which the life experience of previous generations was conveyed to the next. In their writing, they recorded their memories of their loved ones for posterity. Independently of each other, they describe unique family histories in which certain motifs recur strikingly often. One of the editorial intentions of the book was to use these repetitions to report on how the tumultuous events of the 20th century affected Czechoslovak Roma and, simultaneously to show that, far from being merely passive victims, they often took a significant part in shaping their own history.

The magic of the storytelling is underscored by original illustrations by Tereza Šiklová.

The follow-up collection of short stories, Velvet Blues, covers the first two decades of the 21st century.

This book has been published thanks to the kind financial support of the Government Office of the Czech Republic and Bader Philanthropies, Inc.