The Romani Library

a) The project

The Romani Library project aims to promote and make available across Europe modern literature of the Roma culture. Its origins lie in a collaboration between expert academic institutions, European publishers with an intercultural perspective, Roma cultural organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations with experience in Romani publishing.

The principal focus is on the selection, translation, publication, distribution and promotion of significant works of modern Romani literature under the banner “Romani Library” (RL). The multilingual edition will consist of a total of thirty volumes, five in each of German, English, French, Romani, Swedish and Hungarian.

b) The purpose of the project

The Roma live as a Diaspora spread across all member states and candidate member states of the EU. Their number in this area is estimated to be 6,600,000, approximately 4,600,000 of whom speak a variety of Romani. Although the environments and conditions under which Roma live differ from country to country, they are united not only by a common origin, but also by a history of social discrimination and racial persecution which peaked in the Holocaust but still persists in less visible forms.

In addition to an older, mostly oral, tradition recent decades have seen the growth of a multilingual written Roma literature that discusses contemporary issues and modern aesthetic movements, giving insights into the contemporary life of the Roma. Irrespective of their literary merit, many of these works appear only in very limited editions, and translations into other languages have been rare. In order to facilitate a more cohesive profile for these authors spread across Europe and the World, July 2002 saw the foundation of the International Romani Writers' Association (IRWA) based in Finland.

In the light of this the Romani Library has two aims. On the one hand it seeks to contribute to nurturing and reinforcing the cultural identity of Romani as a language of contemporary literature and in particular to encourage the younger generation to read and itself to write creatively. On the other hand the Romani Library is intended to make Roma literature accessible to a broad spectrum of readers in order to combat prejudices, to enliven intercultural dialogue and to promote the recognition of Roma literature as an integral part of European and World literature and culture.

c) The objectives of the project

• Collection and dissemination of information about modern Roma literature.
• Publication and dissemination of significant works of this literature, and promotion of their authors.
• Systematic provision to the media, libraries, higher education establishments and schools via targeted distribution of complimentary copies.
• Systematic provision to Roma cultural organisations, educational establishments and media via targeted distribution of complimentary copies.

d) The anticipated results of the project

• A total of thirty volumes in 6 European languages (including Romani) will be generally available via commercial channels and specifically available to target groups at no charge.
• Romani language texts will additionally be available electronically both for local print-on-demand use (for written texts) and as electronic audio files for transmission on Roma-language radio of for the local production of audio cassettes or compact disks.
• The book publications will be accompanied by a supporting website, brochures, newspaper articles radio programmes and public events.
• A professional network will be established linking authors, translators, scholars, publishers, academic, educational and cultural institutions and the media and will form the basis for further initiatives.

e) Approaches and methods of the project

A panel of experts (Milena Hübschmannovà, Beate Eder, Donald Kenrick, Rajko Djuric, Rahim Burhan and others) will be consulted to create a shortlist of significant works of Romani literature.

The shortlist will include among others works or text-compilations by Matéo Maximoff (France), Bronislawa Papusa Wajs (Poland), Leksa Manus (Lithuania), José Heredia Maya (Spain), Mariella Mehr (Italy), Veijo Baltzar (Finland), Attila Balogh (Hungary), Jovan Nikolic (Germany).

Each publisher will select five titles from this list. The final thirty works will reflect the geographical, linguistic, formal and thematic diversity of Romani literature and include authors of different generations and both sexes. Translation and editorial preparation will be left to the publishers.

The high degree of variation and limited standardisation of the Romani language publications (both originals and translations) significantly complicates their publication, which will be the responsibility of the project co-ordinator.

f) Partners in the project

• contributing to the concept;
• editing the Romani language texts

• Bokförlaget Tranan, Stockholm (Sweden);
• Drava Verlag, Klagenfurt (Austria);
• L´Harmattan, Paris (France);
• Pont Kiado, Budapest (Hungary);
• University of Hertfordshire Press (UK) - See home page: www.herts.ac.uk/UHPress/
  • contributing to the concept;
  • publishing the books in other languages;
  • organising the promotional activities

• contributing to the concept;
• producing the audio-files in Romani language;
• organising the promotion and dissemination of the Romani collection in Eastern Europe

• International Association of Romani Writers IRWA, Helsinki (Finland);
• Rom e. V., Cologne (Germany);
• Centre d'Etudes tsiganes, Université de Paris (France);
• Department of Comparatisics, University of Innsbuck (Austria) -
  • advising the project,
  • collecting information on Romani literature;
  • promoting and disseminating the Romani collection

g) Beneficiaries of the project

• Romani writers and their translators
• The literary audiences in German, English, French, Swedish and Hungarian, particularly libraries and educational institutions
• The Romani-language communities of Eastern and Western Europe, particularly their media, cultural and educational institutions

h) Dates, duration, and locations of project activities

• May 2003 - June 2003: Collection of information about Roma literature and creation of a shortlist (co-ordinated from Klagenfurt)
• June 2003: Co-ordination meeting in Stockholm (??) of all project partners and initial public announcement of the Romani Library
• July 2003 - December 2005: Preparation of Romani works in Graz, then their production in Klagenfurt for Western Europe and Sofia for Eastern Europe; preparation and production of books in other languages in Klagenfurt, Hertfordshire, Paris, Stockholm and Budapest; public presentation of books as they appear; delivery of complimentary copies and delivery to booksellers.
• September 2003: Website published, ongoing maintenance.
• October 2004: Project partners’ stand and reading event at the Frankfurt Book Fair;
• date to be fixed: Dramatic reading by the Roma Theatre Pralipe (Mühlheim, Germany).
• date to be fixed: Project partners’ presence at the Romani Book Fair, Budapest.
• March 2006: Closing event in Vienna (??).