Representing “The Great Devouring:” Romani Characters in Young Adult Holocaust Literature

Abstract

This article discusses the representation of Roma–Sinti (“gypsy”) characters in young adult literature about the Holocaust. It analyzes three primary texts: Jerry Spinelli’s Milkweed (2003), Erich Hackl’s Farewell Sidonia (1991), and Alexander Ramati’s And the Violins Stopped Playing (1985). The article argues that only Ramati’s text gives a detailed description of Roma–Sinti culture, while Spinelli’s and Hackl’s texts merely deal with the “gypsy” on a surface level. I call for a critical evaluation of texts featuring Roma–Sinti characters in order to encourage cosmopolitan engagement with another culture. In the article, I adapt the language of cosmopolitan philosophers Kwame Anthony Appiah and Judith Butler to exemplify the positive and negative effects that literature can have on readers.