Norman will tour 20 Canadian cities, October 24th to December 4th, 2013 with CAZZAROLA! Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy – the title of his new novel and musical soundtrack album.
The novel – CAZZAROLA! Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy (PM Press, Oakland, California, 2013) – is a 300 page historical/romantic/political work spanning 130 years in the life of a family of Italian anarchists. They engage in heroic resistance to Fascism in Italy, including the recent wave of contemporary neo-Fascism sweeping Europe. CAZZAROLA! is also a love story about an Italian boy who falls for a Roma refugee girl. Theirs becomes a forbidden relationship impacted by cultural taboos and the ongoing persecution of Romani refugees.
The album – CAZZAROLA! (Les Pages Noires, Montreal, Canada, 2013) – is a 30 song CD soundtrack of traditional and new Italian music based on the novel, recorded by Nawrocki and friends in Italy and Montreal.
On stage, Nawrocki will dramatize excerpts from CAZZAROLA!, playing several characters from the book, then perform selections from the album on his looped and sampled violin. Where possible, the event will also include a round-table discussion with local representatives from Roma and immigrant/ refugee/migrant worker communities.
Advance praise for CAZZAROLA! the novel:
In Romani culture, when enjoying music we don't say, ‘Did you hear that?’ We say, ‘Did you feel that?’ I didn't just read CAZZAROLA! I felt it. As a Romani woman who has lived in Italy, this very relatable novel often echoed the pages of my own life. Bravo, Ta Aves Baxtalo!
—Julia Lovell, Romani activist and filmmaker
CAZZAROLA! is a powerful, blunt, epic scream against social injustice.
—David Lester, author of The Listener
A stunning achievement!
—Ron Sakolsky, author of Swift Winds
An astonishing book.
—Terry Ballantine Bisson, American science fiction and fantasy author, winner of Hugo and Nebula awards