BARE RROMA 2026/“The Queen of Lăutărească Music”: the story of Roma singer Romica Puceanu, in a children's book

The voice that conquered Bucharest, and then the world, now reaches children through an illustrated story. “The Queen of Lăutărească Music”, published as part of the Bare Rroma project and available online for free in a bilingual Romanian–Romani edition, tells the story of singer Romica Puceanu (1927–1996), one of the greatest voices of Romanian lăutărească music.

The story, told in Romica's own voice — “I am Romica and I've been singing for as long as I can remember!” —, begins in a small house full of joy in Bucharest's Cărămidari neighbourhood, in a large family of Roma artists. Here, the little girl discovers her father's cimbalom, an enchanted box with metal strings that makes her a promise: “I am here to keep your rhythm and to support you!”. With this promise in her heart, Romica steps onto her first stage, then sings in Bucharest's restaurants with the Frații Gore band and ends up in front of the shining microphone at Electrecord, the best-known recording studio in Romania. At parties, people would lay a carpet of flowers and jewels at her feet, but Romica never bent down to pick them up: for her, music was a priceless gift, given wholeheartedly, with her head held high. And when homesickness silenced her voice across the ocean, returning home, among the people who loved her, gave her back the strength to sing.

The biographical excerpt in the book reminds readers that fans called her “The Queen of Lăutărească Music”, and that her songs were loved from Bucharest all the way to faraway Japan and America. Back in Romania in 1994, after years of touring the USA, the artist recalled being welcomed at the airport like a queen, through a corridor of people calling out her name. “There are two things I cannot imagine: not singing and living in loneliness”, Romica Puceanu used to say.

The book was written and translated into Romani by two young Roma, Bela Denis Rezmiveș and David-Solomon Mitoi, students at the University of Bucharest, Romani Language and Literature Study Programme, following ten creative writing workshops coordinated by writer Iulia Iordan and journalist Ana Maria Ciobanu. The illustrations are by Daniela Olaru, the translation into Romani was coordinated by Prof. Alexandru Zamfir, and the book is also available in English, translated by Brandi Bates.

A short pronunciation guide to the letters specific to the Romani alphabet.

Topics: #music #lăutari #RomaWomen #RomaEthnicity

DETAILS

  • Published: September 2026

  • Recommended for: kindergarten, primary and middle school children

  • Digital version, completely free

  • Status: the book is not available in bookstores

  • Pages: 28

  • Size: 20 x 25 cm

  • Cover type: paperback

The book is distributed free of charge to schools and libraries in the network of our project partners, Roma Education Fund and the Comunitățile Viitorului Association.

AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATOR

EDITING & TRANSLATIONS

Iulia Iordan, editor
Oana Sandu - copy editor
Alexandru Zamfir, Romani translation coordinator
Brandi Bates, English translation

Bare Rroma — books as windows and mirrors for children

The book is part of the third edition of the Bare Rroma project (“great/important people” in the Romani language), the first and only series of illustrated stories for children in Europe featuring Roma heroines and heroes, developed by the Cu Alte Cuvinte association. The 2026 edition brings a first: while the first two editions brought contemporary personalities to the forefront, the four new books are dedicated to Roma figures from the past who are essential to history but too little known. Each book is a window into the Roma community and a mirror for Roma children, and each story comes with a teaching guide with diversity education activities, available free of charge online.

In 2026, 4,000 printed copies of the four books reach 15,000 children free of charge, through 1,000 teachers and librarians across the country, in the network of our project partners: Roma Education Fund Romania, the Comunitățile Viitorului Association and EduPedu. The books are not available in bookstores, but they can be read in full, free of charge, in digital format on the association's website, in bilingual editions (Romanian–Romani and English–Romani).

 

DISCOVER THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE COLLECTION

The books and the activity guide were created as part of the second edition of the Bare rroma project, co-financed by AFCN in 2024. Bare rroma means great/important people in the Romani language. The first edition of the Bare Rroma project received 2nd prize at the Civil Society Gala in the “Education and Schooling” section, the award in the “Social Inclusion and Intercultural Dialogue” category at the AFCN Awards Gala, and a nomination at the Itsy Bitsy Gala in the “Social Inclusion” section.

Bare Rroma Project 2026

The “BARE RROMA” project is co-financed by AFCN (the Administration of the National Cultural Fund) and runs from January to November 2026.

The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for the way in which the project's results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grant beneficiary.