IV. G. The Roma in Poland  

BARTOSZ, Adam. Nie boj sie Cygana. Sejny: Pogranicze, 1994.
A modest look at the history and contemporary life and culture of the Roma in Poland, this book combines history and folklore to produce a fresh glimpse at the rich traditions of the Roma. It has a fine collection of photographs and examples of Romany music. An appendix has a collection of important documents relating to the Roma in Poland since the 1950s.
FICOWSKI, Jerzy. “The Fate of Polish Gypsies.” In Jack Nusan Porter, ed., Genocide and Human Rights: A Global Anthology: University Press of America, 1982.
This essay details the Nazi German persecution of the Polish Roma, particularly their massacre in the death camps.
FICOWSKI, Jerzy. The Gypsies in Poland: History and Customs, translated by Eileen Healey. Warsaw: Interpress, 1991. Polish edition: Cyganie w Polsce: Dzieje i Obyczaje. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Interpress, 1989.
A richly documented history of the Roma in Poland from the late Middle Ages through the 1960s, this book discusses Romany tribal structure, housing, cuisine, relations with the non-Roma, birth and death rituals, occupations, and magic. This special volume has a superior collection of photographs of Polish Roma as well as a Polish-Romani dictionary and a strong bibliography.
MIRGA, Andrzej and Lech MROZ. Cyganie: Odmiennosc i Nietolerancja. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1994.
This book is a richly illustrated history of the Roma from the time they entered Europe through Persia from India in the Middle Ages. It explores the problem of trying to categorize various Polish Roma groups, and looks carefully at Romany culture, religion, and ethnicity. This fine volume is anchored by a good bibliography.


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