Cazzarola!: Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy (A Novel)

(Paperback)

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Description

Cazzarola! is a gripping political, historical and romantic novel spanning 130 years in the life of the Discordias, a fictional family of Italian anarchists. It details the family's ongoing resistance to fascism in Italy. Against this historical backdrop and entering the modern era, Antonio Discordias falls in love with Cinka, a proud but poverty-stricken Romani refugee from the unwanted people.' Theirs is a forbidden life-changing relationship. Both are forced to contend with cultural taboos, xenophobia and the violent persecution of the Romani in Italy today.'

Reviews

"Might just be one of my favourite books of all time. I have never read a more delicate portrayal of a Romani woman in my life...I highly recommend to Roma and non-Roma alike. With the rise of neo-Nazi and neofascist groups throughout Europe, this book is definitely timely and a must read. It's a history lesson and a lesson about racism, love, and fighting for what you believe in at all cost."
--Qristina Zavackov Cummings, Romani journalist/activist

"In Romani culture, when enjoying music we don't say, 'Did you hear that' We say, 'Did you feel that' I didn't just read Cazzarola! I felt it. As a Romani woman who has lived in Italy, this very relatable novel often echoed the pages of my own life. Bravo, Ta Aves Baxtalo!"
--Julia Lovell, Romani activist and filmmaker

"Cazzarola! is a powerful, blunt, epic scream against social injustice."
--David Lester, author of The Listener

"A brilliant title for a brilliant story of love and rage, which the author shares with his characters in every page. Cazzarola! reads like a film, a sort of Bertolucci's Novecento recast in contemporary Italy. Nawrocki skillfully manages to interweave scenes of everyday Italian life and fine psychological analysis in a grandiose historical fresco."
--Davide Turcato, historian of Italian anarchism, editor of The Complete Works of Errico Malatesta

"A stunning achievement!"
--Ron Sakolsky, author of Swift Winds

Author Bio

Norman Nawrocki is an actor, a musician, and the author of several books of poetry and short stories. He teaches at Concordia University, gives workshops about creative resistance, and tours the world performing theatre, music, and cabaret. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.