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As a boy of twelve, Jan Yoors fulfilled many an adventurous youth's fantasy when he left his comfortable Belgian home to live and travel with a tribe, or kumpania, of Gypsies. Adopted into the extended family of Pulika, Yoors passed his days with the patriarch's sons and nephews, learning the traditions and participating in the rituals of the Gypsies, or Romani. As the years passed, he divided his life between the world of his birth, where he became a noted tapestry artist, filmmaker, and war hero, and the world of the Romani, where he returned regularly for more than five decades. The nuanced portrait details the rhythms of life among the Romani; the exceptional occurrences of birth, marriage, and death; and the highly codified system of conduct of the Gypsies. Roadside caravans, evening meals, multifamily feasts, village fairs, convocations of the kris (the Romani tribunal of justice), and wedding celebrations: all are powerfully evoked in both word and image. Comprehensive and vivid, expressive and lyrical, this volume is testimony to the author's remarkable facility with language -- both written and visual -- and an unequalled portrait of daily life among the Gypsies.… (more)
User reviews
UPDATE 6/11/09
I'm re-reading this now and it is a s-l-o-w read. I guess it seems a bit too intentionally instructive, if you know what I mean.. Like the author is
I've had this book for over 30 years ( an earlier printing of course). My sister read it in College, and I read it a long time ago, I think when I was 18 years old.. I loved it then but wonder how I'll feel about it now.. so I'm rereading it to find out. Sometimes it is can be interesting to reread books you liked years ago, and find you have a very different reaction to them now.
Gypsies is a true story of a boy who ran way from home, (with his parents permission!) when he was only 12 years old- to live with a band of Gypsies. He lived with them for I think 10 years. Then he wrote this book about his experiences.
I think later Jan Yoors became an avante garde artist of sorts, making tapestries with his two wives (!) Yoors died young and his wives continue his tapestry art.