Veijo Baltzar
Encyclopedia
Veijo Oskari Baltzar is a Finnish Romani author. Since his first novel Polttava tie (Burning road) in 1968 he has been Finland’s leading Romani author. Polttava tie was the first novel in Finland
in which a member of the community approached the hidden world of Romani culture. Since then Baltzar has discussed the Romani culture and its relationship with the majority culture in several novels, plays, poems, short stories, libretto
s, articles, radio plays and movie manuscripts.
Besides being a writer, Baltzar has also been active as a theatre director and as a playwright. His short movie Punainen puutarha (the Red Garden) was awarded in Dublin in 1980. He founded the first and only Roma theatre group in Finland in 1976, Drom. In 1981, Drom won the Theatre Action of the Year prize. At the beginning of the eighties Baltzar worked as a teacher in the Theatre Academy of Finland. In that position he was able to make Roma theatre known by showing how diverse and rich the tradition of the Roma is. Drom performed all around Finland for ten years.
Baltzar has written and directed about ten tragedies, in addition to poetic plays and musicals for the group. After a period when he wrote novels again, Baltzar returned to theatre in 1992, and he has since then continued to write plays and to direct. The author also actively makes visual arts. He is currently president of International Romani Writers' Association.
Baltzar’s latest novel In love and war appeared in 2008. The novel tells a tragic story of Romani people in the Second World War – the forgotten genocide.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in which a member of the community approached the hidden world of Romani culture. Since then Baltzar has discussed the Romani culture and its relationship with the majority culture in several novels, plays, poems, short stories, libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
s, articles, radio plays and movie manuscripts.
Besides being a writer, Baltzar has also been active as a theatre director and as a playwright. His short movie Punainen puutarha (the Red Garden) was awarded in Dublin in 1980. He founded the first and only Roma theatre group in Finland in 1976, Drom. In 1981, Drom won the Theatre Action of the Year prize. At the beginning of the eighties Baltzar worked as a teacher in the Theatre Academy of Finland. In that position he was able to make Roma theatre known by showing how diverse and rich the tradition of the Roma is. Drom performed all around Finland for ten years.
Baltzar has written and directed about ten tragedies, in addition to poetic plays and musicals for the group. After a period when he wrote novels again, Baltzar returned to theatre in 1992, and he has since then continued to write plays and to direct. The author also actively makes visual arts. He is currently president of International Romani Writers' Association.
Baltzar’s latest novel In love and war appeared in 2008. The novel tells a tragic story of Romani people in the Second World War – the forgotten genocide.
Works
Novels by Veijo Baltzar (names in Finnish, Tammi publishers):- In Love and War (Sodassa ja rakkaudessa) (2008)
- Phuro (2000)
- Musta tango (1990)
- Käärmeenkäräjäkivi (1988)
- Mustan Saaran kristallipallo (1978)
- Mari (1972)
- Verikihlat (1969)
- Polttava tie (1968)