The Gypsy Soul in the Poems E-Book

Matéo Maximoff

• Herausgeber: Editorial Kohelet
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: Mateo Maximoff
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 33

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

This collection offers a rare opportunity to explore the poetic legacy of Matéo Maximoff, whose poems have never been translated into English before. His work deserves recognition, and the publication of this collection is an essential step toward acknowledging Gypsy literature on an international level. Maximoff's poems, rich with vivid imagery, musicality, and profound emotional depth, transcend personal experience and become the voice of an entire people. They weave together folklore traditions with an individual authorial style, creating a unique rhythm that, we hope, will resonate with a broad audience. This collection not only broadens our understanding of Maximoff's poetry but also contributes to strengthening the presence of Gypsy literature in the global cultural space.

Leseprobe

The Gypsy Soul in the Poems

Matéo Maximoff

Kohelet

Contents

Title Page

FOREWORD

PART 1

I’M THINKING

OUR LAST HOUR

THE HAPPINESS SELLERS

I COULDN’T

FATHER’S LOVE

YOUR CHIC HAIR

AROUND THE FIRE

THE LEGS MUDDY

HEAVY DRINKING

PART 2

DEMON’S KIDS

THE GHOSTS

PEOPLE OF NIGHT

FIRE

DELIRIUM TREMENS

MONSTER

PART 3

I’M SELLING TEARS TO YOU

WHAT A WONDER!

GIVE THEM ALL THAT YOU HAVE!

ON THE ROADS

Matéo Maximoff,

Copyright

Upcoming Publications in the

FOREWORD

THE POETRY OF MATÉO MAXIMOFF

"He also happened to write poems — simple and without any stylistic pretension. He expressed what was on his heart plainly but sincerely: his pain, his suffering, and more rarely, his joy and hopes."

(Carnets de Route, 2006)

Matéo Maximoff is a landmark figure in the history of Gypsy literature and Romani studies — a unique author who left behind a rich literary and ethnographic legacy. His work, blending elements of various genres, styles, and traditions, vividly demonstrates the features of literary hybrid, reflecting a complex interweaving of national identities, historical experience, and multilingualism.

Hybrid is especially characteristic of Gypsy literature, which can be partly defined as transnational, as it crosses national borders and reflects the experience of a people whose culture, values, and identity are not tied to any single nation-state.

Gypsies are dispersed across many countries but retain common cultural and linguistic elements. Authors of Gypsy origin write in a range of languages — including Romani dialects, as well as Russian, English, French, Spanish, and others — which also reflects the hybrid nature of their creative work.

The works of Gypsy authors often do not belong to a specific national literature (for example, Gypsy literature of Russia or France) but instead express a shared experience transmitted through multiple languages and cultural codes.

In different countries, Gypsy literature has existed for anywhere from thirty to a hundred years, and its development reflects complex political and social processes that have taken place across the globe. In the USSR, it emerged as part of a project to create a written form of the Romani language — part of a broader campaign to develop national kinds of literature to integrate ethnic minorities into the ideological space (late 1920s to 1930s). This project was halted in 1938 due to a shift in domestic nationality policy. However, in the second half of the 1980s and into the 1990s, with the weakening of ideological control and the rise of democratic processes in Eastern Europe, including the post-Soviet space, a new wave of creative output by Gypsy authors emerged.

The intensification of national movements led to the formation of Gypsy cultural and artistic associations and political parties. In countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia, this fostered not only political expression but also a renewed interest in the development of Gypsy literature as a part of national revival. Nonetheless, to this day, no country in the world has developed a sustainable publishing infrastructure for the Romani language — due to both objective and subjective reasons. Because of small print runs, Gypsy literature often resonates only among national activists and specialists in Romani studies. In such a context, producing high-quality translations into surrounding languages and promoting the work of Gypsy authors becomes especially important to make their voices accessible to a broader readership.

Without forming a unified canon, Gypsy literature presents a colorful and diverse polyphony of individual authors. Many one-day writers of the recent past have left behind only a handful of publications and catchy pseudonyms. For others, no biographical information has been preserved. Some biographies have become mythologized, and in a few unfortunate cases, there were no real individuals behind the names — only the inventions of unscrupulous "discoverers."

Matéo Maximoff's emergence as a writer was not dictated by political circumstances. He made a striking debut with a novel on a fascinating and little-known subject, capturing the attention of readers worldwide. He seemed to have bypassed the need for a "discoverer," firmly establishing himself as the creator of his own myth. Moreover, Maximoff is distinguished by his extraordinary range of interests, impressive productivity, and creative and activist longevity.