What's on

The persecution and murder of the Romany people during World War II is a story that has seldom been told. When she was 12, Polish Gypsy Sofia Taikon (1931-2005) and her entire family were taken to the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, a prisoner number was tattooed on her left arm: Z-4515.

"Sofia Z-4515 is an understated but subtly affecting graphic memoir. It involves the reader intimately and allows space for reflection. It's a perfectly balanced vehicle to convey the painful, sad truths which need to be handed down to future generations."
-Paul Gravett, author of Graphic Novels: Stories To Change Your Life.

The story of her survival is now an award-winning graphic memoir for young readers written by Gunilla Lundgren and illustrated by Amanda Eriksson. We're pleased to invite you to the launch of this memoir at the Free Word Centre's main hall on May 28th.

Published in English by Mantra Lingua, Sofia Z-4515 is now available to a wide multicultural audience in a sound-enabled bilingual edition translated from the Swedish by Janna Eliot. This edition works with Mantra Lingua's own Talking Pen, with audio narration available in Kalderash and English.

Mantra Lingua is a UK based publishing house that supplies bilingual resources which connect with and transcend national differences in a way that is respectful and appreciative of local cultures. Mantra Lingua is about connecting languages for children. With increased mobility of populations across the globe, Mantra Lingua has developed a set of values that stems from a desire to retain distinctness and yet encourage integration of new communities in various societies.