{"id":1277,"date":"2014-11-28T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/28-11-2014-the-blonde-gypsy-girl-a-novel-about-the-ideas-of-an-author-on-the-rroma\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T11:26:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T10:26:30","slug":"28-11-2014-the-blonde-gypsy-girl-a-novel-about-the-ideas-of-an-author-on-the-rroma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/28-11-2014-the-blonde-gypsy-girl-a-novel-about-the-ideas-of-an-author-on-the-rroma\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Siegrist (2014) reports on the latest novel by Swiss writer Hans Schaub. The book, entitled \u201cThe blonde gypsy girl\u201d [German: Das blonde Zigeunerm\u00e4dchen] tells the story of a German Gadje (non-Rroma) woman, who falls in love with a travelling Rroma musicians. She gives up her bourgeois life and henceforth lives with her travelling lover, whereby she experiences adventures and austerity. As this brief synopsis already reveals, the plot is pervaded by many stereotypes about Rroma: on one hand, there is the conviction that Rroma are traveling musicians and showmen. In addition, Siegrist review of the book, the terms \u201cGypsy\u201d, \u201cRroma\u201d, \u201ctravelers\u201d and \u201cYeniche\u201d are mistakenly equated: \u201cWell, it is a novel, a fictional story, says Hans Schaub: \u201cBut, the impetus for the story was lawsuit that took place in 2010 in Zurich.\u201d At that time, travelers stood before court, says Schaub, and he found that many prejudices were reflected in the media. \u201cThe Roma were generally poorly talked down.\u201d Based on these findings, his story was developed. \u201cI assume that there are no malicious ethnicities, but rather evil humans.\u201d The author<\/em> Hans Schaub, 70 years old, moved to Menziken in 2009, where he devotes himself to writing. <\/em>As a former council chairman and head of the Department of Social Welfare in a Zurich municipality, Schaub had been in contact with travelers in Switzerland, most of the time about the question of travelling sites.\u201d<\/em> The book may tell an adventurous story about the contact between different cultures. Nevertheless, there is the problem that Schaub spreads prejudiced and simply false information about Rroma: most Rroma in Switzerland \u2013 an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people, are sedentary and well integrated. In addition, Yeniche and Rroma are not the same. The Swiss travelers are mainly Yeniche that have European roots and speak the language Yeniche that traces back to the Yiddish and Germanic language. The Rroma however originated from India and speak Rromanes, originating from the Sanskrit. Most Rroma are sedentary, as evidenced by some Ottoman tax registers since their arrival in Europe. These important details Schaub didn\u2019t research thoroughly enough for his book and instead focuses on the dramatic and romanticized aspect of the casual \u201cgypsy life\u201d.<\/p>\n