Researching the Kurdish literature was not easy. I’ve found that there are no comprehensive records of their literature. The negative social and political conditions slowed the development of their society and culture, and being that Kurdistan is divided between several different countries, this causes the cultural development to be at different levels, but there is evidence that shows that the Kurdish literature has made great strides. With little sources, The literary works basically includes certain periods of Kurdish Literature, restricted to a certain genre, and from a certain part of Kurdistan.
Another difficulty is the lack of common standard for the written language. The Kurdish have two main dialects and no less than three written alphabets: modified Arabic, Latin-Turkish, and the Cyrillic alphabet. The different alphabets stem from the division of Kurdistan. For example, the modified Arabic comes from the Iranian and Iraqi region of Kurdistan. Therefore, the country in which the a Kurdish region occupies heavily influences their language and culture.
I’ve found that poetry is considered the most important genre of Kurdish literature. Kurdish figures used poetry as a way to express their feelings of the bad social and political environment.These expressions give you a look into what it was like for the citizens in an oppressed nation. “Mem and Zin”, a poem by Ahmad Khani (1651 - 1707) is considered to be the epic of Kurdish literature. The poem is a love story that will remind you of Romeo and Juliet. Mem and Zin, the names of the two main characters in the poem, are symbols of the Kurdish people and the Kurdish country, which are separated and cannot come together. Khani used this to express his political and philosophical thoughts and described a very important period in Kurdish history.
Other Notable Writers:
1. Ali Hariri (1009-1080), Poet
2. Faki Tayran(1590-1660), Poet, Sheik San’an and Battle of DimDim
3. Khana Qubadi, (1700-1790), poet, Sirin u Xesrew
4. Jaladat Ali Badirkhan (1893-1951), Linguist, Journalist and Politician, Founder of Latin-based Kurdish alphabet
5. Muhamed Salih Dilan, (1927-1990), One of the founders of modern Kurdish poetry.
6. Sherko Bekas (1940-), Famous contemporary Kurdish poet
7.Zaradachet Hajo, (1950-), Kurdish linguist and academic, Head of the Kurdish PEN, Germany
A poem by Zaradachet Hajo, a Kurdish poet and writer. He is also a member of Kurdish PEN. PEN is an organization that is trying to link all the Kurdish writers together.
Daughter Marash*
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From the cradle they were telling you:Your father is the famous Kemal,
he never abandons ever his children.
So many times you have been asked:
Where is your father who loves even you?
So that you nearly have forgotten
what language your tongue is speaking.
In school you have been troubled:
„I am proud to be your grown-up daughter.“
Nobody, also you, would have risked
to say: I am Kurdish, I alone
will stand up against you all, confess
my guilt not to be Turkish.
How excellent you have been educated by your father
playing your part trained as a dog
a daughter who is cheated of her origins
wandering around under people like you
being hurt again and again, neglected
as a maidservant in the last corner of the world.
What happens if you ever discover
that he never has been your father?
When you wake up your feelings
who fly up as a flock of released birds
directly to Kurdistan?
There is the hoard of the betrayed souls
who would not choose their words.
* "Marash" is the Kurdish name of the city Karamanmaras in Kurdistan / Turkey. Marash has a large Kurdish population, but most of the Kurds living there are not aware of their Kurdish identity as a result of the Turkish oppression).(http://www.pen-kurd.org/englizi/hajo/zerdesht-haco.html)
