Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom

In Lacki roma, a destitute Roma settlement, the strange and stubborn Sanji is born to father Mariska and mother Tereza. One night, Mariska commits murder, stumbling home wounded with officers in hot pursuit. In the final hours of his freedom, he renames his son to Halgato and entrusts him with a family heirloom - the mysterious White Crow violin, urging him to dedicate his life to its mastery. Mariska is arrested, Tereza goes vagrant, and Halgato is left to fend for himself. The mother eventually returns home with Bumbas, a new mate. In tow with his meagre possessions, Bumbas brings over his son Pisti and daughters Ana and Fani, moving, with the blessing of the Roma community, into Tereza's old house. Halgato, hardened by a life of loneliness, finds in Pisti a sudden friend and companion. Bumbas, though, wants Pisti to attend school in the city, and the family sends him there while he and Halgato tour taverns, playing music to pay for Pisti's education. Halgato, once again estranged, finds out Pisti has been seeing a girl he is secretly in love with. After a series of personal tragedies he is broken, seeking redemption in music. The story is tinged with sadness arising from the fateful condition of both the protagonists, Halgato and Pisti. Their Roma heritage will never allow them to be accepted by the surroundings, and even their friendship is troubled and tempestuous. With his portrayal of the lyrical soul-searching aspect of the Roma spirit, Feri Lainscek made a welcome break with the previous Slovene literary tradition, which often characterized the Roma as an embodiment of calculating mischief.