The novel begins in Czechoslovakia in the early 1930s when Zoli, a young Roma girl, is six years old. The fascist Hlinka guards had driven most of her people out onto the frozen lake and forced them to stay there until the spring, when the ice cracked and everyone drowned - Zoli's parents, brothers and sisters. Now she and her grandfather head off in search of a 'company'. Zoli teaches herself to read and write and becomes a singer, a privileged position in a gypsy company as they are viewed as the guardians of gypsy tradition. But Zoli is different because she secretly writes down some of her songs. With the rise of the Nazis, the suppression of the gypsies intensifies. The war ends when Zoli is 16 and with the spread of socialism, the Roma are suddenly regarded as 'comrades' again. Zoli meets Stephen Swann, a man she will have a passionate affair with, but who will also betray her. He persuades Zoli to publish some of her work. But when the government try to use Zoli to help them in their plan to 'settle' gypsies, her community turns against her. They condemn her to 'Pollution for Life', which means she is exiled forever. She begins a journey that will eventually lead her to Italy and a new life. Zoli is based very loosely on the true story of the Gypsy poet, Papsuza, who was sentenced to a Life of Pollution by her fellow Roma when a Polish intellectual published her poems. But Colum has turned this into so much more - it's a brilliantly written work that brings the culture and the time to life, an incredibly rich story about betrayal and redemption, and storytelling in all its guises.
Similar Books by other authors...
Used availability for Colum McCann's Zoli
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
June 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-7862-9577-5 / 978-0-7862-9577-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Thorndike Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Zoli: A Novel Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 1-4000-6372-8 / 978-1-4000-6372-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 1-4056-1818-3 / 978-1-4056-1818-2 (UK edition) Publisher: Thorndike Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
January 2007 : Hardback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 1-4056-1819-1 / 978-1-4056-1819-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Thorndike Press Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
August 2006 : Hardback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-297-84759-7 / 978-0-297-84759-5 (UK edition) Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
March 2008 : Paperback
| Title: Zoli: A Novel Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-8129-7398-4 / 978-0-8129-7398-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
June 2007 : Paperback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-7538-2163-X / 978-0-7538-2163-3 (UK edition) Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
March 2007 : Paperback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-7538-2164-8 / 978-0-7538-2164-0 (UK edition) Publisher: Phoenix Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
August 2006 : Paperback
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 0-297-85224-8 / 978-0-297-85224-7 (UK edition) Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Audio Editions
September 2007 : Audio Cassette
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 1-84648-253-4 / 9781846482533 (UK edition) Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Limited Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2007 : Audio CD
| Title: Zoli Author(s): Colum McCann ISBN: 1-84648-271-2 / 9781846482717 (UK edition) Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Limited Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
© 2009 FantasticFiction
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk

