Stellina is a gypsy. When she turned 15, she chooses to leave her family in order to avoid a forced marriage imposed by the tradition of her camp. She decides to go to Paris, to meet her cousin Django Reinhardt, a talented and famous musician. On the long road to the French capital, she has to suffer mockeries and racist aggressions. Drawing her strenght from her gypsy legacy, she protects herself with magical stones and dances. When gypsy camps receive her for the night, she enjoys these rare moments of closeness.
Arrived in Paris, the hazard of her destiny drags her in the heart of the Parisian bohemia, where she begins to write poetry. Stellina discovers Montmartre, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Montparnasse, and strikes up friendships with the most talented artists. Jean Cocteau, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali or Marcel Aymé encourage her. She becomes a great artist and organizes the first exposition of gypsy Art in Paris.
The story of Stellina is not only the tale of a gypsy young girl, it is also the one of a free woman.
Sandra Jayat was born in 1930. A fiery defender of the gipsy culture through the world, her work has been rewarded with numerous prizes of excellence. She exhibits her paintings in the whole world. She took her inspiration from her own life to write this novel.
