Stefan Horvath’s text refers autobiographically to his youth. ‘Der Weg zur Versöhnung’ is the fourth chapter in his third book, Atsinganos, about the history of Roma in Oberwart, concentrating on the years after World War II. In this chapter, which focuses on his own upbringing and schooling, the first-person narrator stresses his love of learning, which non-Romani teachers and classmates in his early school years support. His further studies and efforts to find a job in Oberwart, however, meet with discrimination, despite his persistent excellent performance at school. This leads to his decision to move to Vienna at the age of fifteen.

Source of text sample

Horvath, Stefan. 2013. Atsinganos. Die Oberwarter Roma und ihre Siedlungen. Oberwart: edition lex liszt 12, pp. 116–122.