Matéo Maximoff
Encyclopedia
Matéo Maximoff was a French
writer of Romani ethnicity and an Evangelical
pastor.
, his mother was a Manouche from France
. She was a cousin of Django Reinhardt
. Matéo was born in Barcelona
, Spain
.
His father was a tinker
. He taught Matéo how to read, write and count. He also had much to tell him about Russia
, Kalderash history
, different Roma and countries. He died when Matéo was 14. Matéo took over as a tinker to support himself and his younger brothers and sisters. He also taught his brothers and sisters how to read and write.
In 1936, because of the Spanish civil war
his family sought shelter among relatives in France
.
In 1940 they were arrested under suspicion of intelligence with the enemy, as were other refugee
s.
Maximoff's family were interned in a camp for 'spies' for 42 days and then the police transferred the 'Gypsies' to a 'Gypsy camp' in Tarbes. After Tarbes, in May 1941, followed an internment camp for 'nomads' in Lannemazan.
After World War II
, Maximoff settled in France
. He wrote eleven books that were translated into fourteen languages. he also produced an album including ethnographical pictures of 'Gypsies' in France.
In 1961 he became an Evangelic
pastor, translating the New Testament
into Romani language
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer of Romani ethnicity and an Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
pastor.
Biography
Matéo's father was a Kalderash Rom from RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, his mother was a Manouche from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She was a cousin of Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
. Matéo was born in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
His father was a tinker
Tinker
A tinker was originally an itinerant tinsmith, who mended household utensils. The term "tinker" became used in British society to refer to marginalized persons...
. He taught Matéo how to read, write and count. He also had much to tell him about Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Kalderash history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, different Roma and countries. He died when Matéo was 14. Matéo took over as a tinker to support himself and his younger brothers and sisters. He also taught his brothers and sisters how to read and write.
In 1936, because of the Spanish civil war
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
his family sought shelter among relatives in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1940 they were arrested under suspicion of intelligence with the enemy, as were other refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s.
Maximoff's family were interned in a camp for 'spies' for 42 days and then the police transferred the 'Gypsies' to a 'Gypsy camp' in Tarbes. After Tarbes, in May 1941, followed an internment camp for 'nomads' in Lannemazan.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Maximoff settled in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He wrote eleven books that were translated into fourteen languages. he also produced an album including ethnographical pictures of 'Gypsies' in France.
In 1961 he became an Evangelic
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
pastor, translating the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Romani language
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
.
External links
- Mateo Maximoff's biography in Rombase
- Mateo Maximoff's bio in Romany Kultury i Dzhiipen in Russian
- Mateo Maximoff's bio in Unionsverlag in German
- Mateo Maximoff. O Vurdon in Italian and English