Zoli

Colum McCann takes literary chances with this story of a Gypsy poet set in the shifting borders and politics of Eastern Europe. For this, the reader is rewarded greatly. Few male writers have captured the female voice as strongly, as realistically as McCann has with Zoli Novotna's; this is especially apparent when he shifts to first-person narrative. Besides presenting a complex, conflicted protagonist (informed and supported by the other well-drawn characters), the writer uses a relatively little known ethnic group as the focal theme. While most readers presumably know little of Gypsy culture, and their interest is eclipsed by more newsworthy happenings in the world, what we think about Gypsies is shaped by negative stereotypes. They are possibly the most reviled people in history. In "Zoli," without cloaking the characters' moral flaws, the full humanity that has long been denied them is revealed. Added to the realistically rendered people, including Stephen Swann, Zoli's erstwhile editor and lover, is the adroit movement between time and place, starting in 2003 Slovakia. Memories and conversations are not linear in real life, so why expect them to be in a story? History is about renaming (people and places) and winding back before re-facing forward. It's a risky writing technique that can confuse readers; but, it works here. The rich prose describes a genius in her own right, who wraps, perhaps even imprisons herself in the mystery of her heritage, unable to escape it, and unwilling to deny it. McCann knows how to end a story with just enough left unsaid to leave open possibiliites for the aged, still-fierce Gypsy woman.

Reading Zoli, it doesn't take too long to realize that one is in the presence of a great writer, who, in the tradition of Dostoyevsky, Victor Hugo, has given voice to the voiceless and created "great literature" along the way. Colum McCann, the master of the English language, the poet, the keen observer of history, has written about Zoli, the magnificent warrior woman hellbent on keeping her dignity and humanity at a time when an orgy of evil was unleashed on her Romani people in the "humane and civilized" Europe. Zoli is a book that shoudn't be rushed. Reading, rereading, revisiting the previous marked pages as I did, at the end, the reader will be richly rewarded.

(4.5 stars) When Zoli Novotna makes this statement as an old woman, she is referring to the "blackness" of her gypsy heritage, which she has tried to preserve despite the fact that she has lived most of her life outside the caravans where she lived as a child. Using the life of the gypsy poet Papusza as his inspiration for the character of Zoli, author Colum McCann recreates the heart-rending conflicts Zoli faces between her desire to learn and to read, and her culture, which prohibits reading and schooling for women. Zoli, an instinctive poet, dedicates herself to preserving ancient gypsy songs and gypsy history, fearing that the changing political landscapes under which her people must live in Europe will lead to the loss of their culture as they are forced to assimilate. The novel opens in 2003, with the arrival of a journalist in Bratislava looking for Zoli, and it shifts back and forth in time and point of view. Czechoslovakia from the 1930s to 1949 is described from Zoli's point of view, the old ways described fully and the depredations of the Nazis and the war crimes committed against the gypsies during World War II depicted in horrifying detail. Zoli's personal life, including her marriage at sixteen, her resilience during the war, her interest in developing her poetry further, and her determination to record traditional songs bring her story to life. A second, parallel narrative traces the story of Stephen Swann, a British subject who is half Czech, from 1930 to 1959. He has come to Czechoslovakia to translate for a literary journal and works with the Communist writer Martin Stransky--and ultimately Zoli. Though Swann admits early in the book that he has betrayed her, it is Zoli who ultimately details what he has done to change her life forever. Gradually, the novel is brought up to the present day in Italy and Paris as Zoli tells her story to her westernized daughter so that her daughter will understand her roots. McCann is a stunningly descriptive writer who easily captures the atmosphere and drama of the times and the bitter conflicts with which Zoli must deal as she straddles two separate worlds. His writing is often harsh and dark--certainly not lyrical in the traditional sense, though it is vividly descriptive. His opening scene in 2003, describing the "sh!tscape" along the river in Bratislava, establishes the naturalistic tone which continues throughout the novel. Though it is sometimes difficult to identify with a character and a culture which reject even the most basic physical comforts offered by modern society, McCann elicits empathy for Zoli and her people in this dramatic and powerful novel. n Mary Whipple

I found this book to be both riveting and accurate and it got rave reviews from both traditional book review publications as well as Romani archival centers, which indicates it got a "stamp of approval" from people who are Romani and from those who are simply curious about their traditions and culture. Although the story of a Roma (also called Gypsies by some) who is struggling to survive during World War II and beyond, is totally engaging on its own, revealing much about Romani culture and traditions, what I found particularly compelling was the contrast between the language and viewpoint of Zoli as it contrasted with the "outsiders" (everyone who was not Roma). At times, the author's use of words and language was so beautiful it brought me to tears, as when he had Zoli speak of using "tears and sugar" to convince people that what she was saying was true. "They will lick the tears and sugar and make of it a paste called sympathy" she goes on to say (this is my memory of that sentence, may not be word for word accurate). Sections like this make the book a standout. I do want to add that we adopted a Romani child and so I have read quite a bit of both fiction and nonfiction books in an attempt to understand his background, cultural traditons, etc. This book is among the best of the best! I bought two copies because I can not bear to part with my own copy but I feel compelled to share this book with others.

Colum McCann has done something extraordinary in the pages of "Zoli". He has taken a risk - with this book, with his career, with his literary reputation. This book is a complete departure from his previous works. Those looking for the stylistic frenzy of "Dancer" will be frustrated. Those anticipating the gritty texture of "This Side of Brightness" will be disappointed. Readers seeking a work representative of the "authentic Irish" genre need look elsewhere. Instead, McCann has created a stunning work that sets up a resonance between heart and mind that sustains until the very last word. "Zoli" is a world filled with music alien and remote - yet ultimately as familiar as a mother's lullaby. I finished the book at 3 a.m., long after intimations of the coming day's responsibilities and dry, weary eyes had signaled for a stop. Yet I could not stop, for it seemed inevitable that after so much brilliance, the final pages were drawing down to a flawed, incomplete coda. I grew angry at McCann. For 200 hundred pages, he had created a rare beauty out of the interplay between consuming darkness and transforming brightness - yet it seemed inevitable that the book's coda would be pallid, incomplete, and drained of energy. Yet, at 3 a.m., I found myself stunned, then amazed, and finally exhilarant. In one short, simple sentence, McCann provided a miraculous note that transformed the book into a meditation on how each of us can find simple grace and transforming redemption through the expression of our heart's unique song. Buy this book. Set aside any expectations you might have had from his previous works. Silence the voices of shallow charlatans posing as critics. Open the book. From the first page, listen carefully. Listen to your own voice as you walk in the trail left by Zoli's worn and bloody feet. Above all, keep faith until the very end. If you do so, you will find yourself where I was at the end of that long night - torn between the anguished weeping and joyous exultations experienced when, after completing a long journey seeking a distant shore, you arrive only to find yourself on the familiar shore of home.