Damian Le Bas

This journey through Gypsy Britain is a personal account of a year in Damian Le Bas' life as he travels in a Ford Transit to some of the stopping places used by Gypsies. He lives in the south of England and begins there, revisitng old haunts. He really gets into his stride once he heads north and goes to Wales and then Appleby Fair and onto Scotland. The book is a combination of his personal story and memories and his own journey and general history and information about Roma Gypsies and some folklore. He is knowledgeable and interesting but also human and not afraid to show his vulnerabilities and mistakes and face up to the prejudice against his community in society. A fascinating read and a traveloge with a different slant.… (meer)

Damien Le Bas didn’t have what most would consider a conventional upbringing. He is a gypsy and his community have always had a strained relationship with others in the UK. He spent time with various family members travelling around the countryside, selling flowers and carrying out all sorts of odd jobs. He didn’t follow the usual path for gypsies either, winning a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital before going onto study at Oxford.

This is about his travels back through his memories to the ‘stopping places’ or in their language, atchin tans, that he remembers from childhood and his attempt to find them once again. He does up his van, installing a bed and collecting a few necessary items that he can use to cook with as he hits the road with the intention of stopping over, getting back to his roots and indulging in a little nostalgia. His journeys with take him and Candis all around the country, up to the Appleby Horse Fair and even as far as the South of France to the shrine of St Sara-la-Kali.

Not only is it a journey to his past haunts, but it is a glimpse into the world of British Gypsies, their culture and language as well as a nostalgic look back at his family’s past. He has a unique position with a foot in each community to explain the differences and the common traits and even though he is a member of this culture, he doesn’t look like a member because of his fair complexion. This occasionally leads to confrontation. I didn’t feel that we got to know much about the man and only had a taste of what the culture is like. He is a lyrical writer too, which makes this an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars… (meer)

I liked this but I didn't love it.

I had the sense that he had some profound experiences getting more in touch with his roots and finding his identity. I also felt that he had a lot to say about the place of Gypsies in modern society.

However, I felt like he wasn't sure how to communicate either of those. Without counting pages, I feel like those parts, the meat of what would have made this fascinating, was about 50%. The rest was long, rather florid, descriptions of places and weather.

A shorter book or, far better, a more in-depth book, would have pleased me more.… (meer)