Lavengro and The Romany Rye

Lavengro

by George Borrow

Lavengro and The Romany Rye is a two-part novel written by George Borrow. The story follows the adventures of the protagonist, Lavengro, who is a young man with a passion for traveling and learning about different cultures. Lavengro's travels take him through various parts of England and Wales, where he meets a variety of characters, including Gypsies, highwaymen, and scholars.In the first part of the novel, Lavengro explores his love for learning and his desire to experience life to the fullest. He becomes friends with a Gypsy named Isopel Berners, who teaches him about the Gypsy way of life and introduces him to her community. Lavengro also encounters a number of other interesting characters, including a highwayman named Jerry Abershaw and a scholar named Mr. Petulengro.The second part of the novel, The Romany Rye, continues Lavengro's adventures as he becomes more involved with the Gypsy community. He meets a charismatic Gypsy leader named Jasper Petulengro, who becomes a mentor to him and teaches him about the Gypsy way of life. Lavengro also becomes involved in a number of conflicts and adventures, including a duel with a Frenchman and a run-in with a group of robbers.Overall, Lavengro and The Romany Rye is a fascinating and engaging novel that explores themes of travel, adventure, and cultural differences. The story is full of interesting characters and exciting plot twists, making it a must-read for anyone who loves classic literature and adventure stories.1851. Designed to be read as a modern novel. English writer and traveler, Borrow led a nomadic life in England and on the Continent, where he was a translator and agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society. The autobiographical Lavengro is considered his masterwork and its sequel, Romany Rye, is also considered among his best work. Like all of his other writings, these two volumes are based on his wanderings.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

George Henry Borrow was an English author who wrote novels and travelogues based on his own experiences traveling around Europe. Over the course of his wanderings, he developed a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure prominently in his work. His best known books are The Bible in Spain (1843), the autobiographical Lavengro (1851), and The Romany Rye (1857), about his time with the English Romanichal (gypsies).

Reviews

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes books don’t fit neatly into the historical period in which they are written. These two odd novels, while considered minor classics, don’t fit in with contemporary Victorian works like those of Dickens or Trollope. In many ways Borrows novels are far ahead of their time, expressing the need for tolerance, the universality of cultures through an ancient common language, skepticism about church and state, even doubting the existence of God. Not your typical concerns in 1850! In addition, the protagonist has a very modern dilemma of not knowing where he fits into his society. After a childhood of constant moving (his father was a soldier), he finds he has a gift for languages and this becomes his life-long passion. He falls in with a band of gypsies and picks up their language and habits. Romany Rye (Rye means man) is probably the first novel where gypsies were not vilified, and he finds much to admire in them. However, this only further limits his ability to fit into society. His fascination with other languages and cultures does not pay the rent, and his rambling discourses on the etiology of words drives people away (like his potential love Belle). He fails as a writer in London, a tinker, and a smithy and only has success as a horse trader at the end of the novel. He then realizes the gypsies he has been so fascinated with originally came from India and he decides to go there, turning his back on his homeland. Like other “out of time” novels (Tristram Shandy comes to mind), this book has flashes of post-modernism and is a fascinating alternative look at this period.

[Jude Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I stayed with this book till the end. It is a bit of a ramble and the archaic language and the style of writing are each a challenge to the flow of reading at times. But the stories (more like vignettes of encounters) are interesting enough to keep me moving along over the period of about a month. Easy to pick up and set down for awhile. Not a page turner for sure but I think it is worth the read. Pleasant to sit with for 20 minutes or so at a time while having a cup of tea or coffee.

[Lulu]

Lavengro (1851).
The Romany Rye 1857 a sequel

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but it’s very verbose and repetitive. Its like being told a story by your 200 year old grandpa about his youth. I enjoyed the bits of Romanipen.

[Anne James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read 'Wild Wales' by Borrow before reading 'Lavengro' and 'The Romany Rye'. He is definitely a very interesting, eccentric read! I'm looking forward to exploring more of his writing in the future but will get on with reading some other writers for now. I've been in George Borrow's head too much, and I need a rest!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing story of early linguist who was a military kid in Napoleonic wars, and moved to military bases all over Great Britain, in process learning Gaelic, Irish, Cornish, Welsh, Romany (gypsy), Danish, French, Italian and many more. You have to allow for Borrow's remarkable religious bias.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Began me on my journey to find the right donkey

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quoted by Hugh Nibley in some writings he did about gypsies. It is worth putting up with the old writing style. It has more meaning now that I have traveled around Great Britain.