Erika Olahová joined the workforce as soon as she had finished primary school, first as a factory labourer, then in the catering industry as a cook and waitress. She is now on disability pension. She began writing and publishing in the 1990s under the editorial guidance of the Romani studies scholar Jan Červenka. She writes in Czech but is also influenced by the Romani storytelling tradition through the stories she heard from her grandparents as a child.
She made her debut in the Roma studies journal Romano džaniben in 2001 with the short story “Dítě” / “Child”. She has published two collections of short stories, Nechci se vrátit mezi mrtvé (I Don't Want to Return Among the Dead, Triáda, 2004) and Matné zrcadlo (Blurred Mirror, Triáda, 2007). She has contributed texts to Revolver Revue and Host magazine. Her works have also appeared in the anthology Povídky. Short Stories by Czech Women (ed. Nancy Hawker, London, Telegram Books, 2006), the anthology of Czech Romani prose Čalo voďi / Sytá duše (Muzeum romské kultury 2007) and the women writers’ collection of short stories Ty, která píšeš (Artes Liberales 2008). In 2010, the Divadlo D21 theatre staged a dramatization of her short story “Prokletá rodina” / “The Cursed Family”. Her short story “Sedmé patro” / “The Seventh Floor” was published on the Romea.cz website and in the e-book Moji milí (My Dear Ones, Kher, 2014), and subsequently also in the anthology Všude samá krása (Nothing But Beauty Everywhere, Kher, 2021).
Photo: Lukáš Houdek
