Synopsis

Since their unexplained appearance in Europe over nine centuries ago, the Gypsies have refused to fall in with conventional settled life. They remain a people whose culture and customs are beset with misunderstanding, and who cling to their distinct identity in the teeth of persistent rejection and pressure to conform. This book describes their history.

Publishers Weekly

British civil servant Fraser offers a thorough, scholarly survey of the origins and history of the Gypsies, the wandering pilgrims who arrived in the Balkans during the Middle Ages and gradually spread over Europe and beyond. In an academic but readable style, he writes of the Gypsies' linguistic and anthropological background, their migrations through Persia and Europe, the 15th-century persecution of them and their attempts to survive repressive legislation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, attitudes toward the Gypsies became somewhat more benign, though the Gypsies continued to resist assimilation. Fraser mentions that Gypsies joined the waves of immigrants to the United States but does not elaborate on their experiences here. After discussing Nazi repression and extermination of Gypsies, he addresses current conditions: migrations are spurred primarily by economic concerns, pentecostal Christianity is becoming popular and Gypsies are forming political organizations. Illustrations. (Dec.)

Biography

Sir Angus Fraser died on May 27, 2001, aged 73. He was Chairman of the UK Board of Customs and Excise and from 1988 to 1992 was Adviser to the Prime Minister on Efficiency in Government. He was knighted in 1985. He published extensively on the Gypsies.