UZUN, MEHMED

(1953-2007)

   Uzun was a famous, contemporary Kurdish writer born in Urfa, Turkey. Although it was outlawed in his home country, Uzun began to write in Kurdish. He was accused of "separatism" and jailed. During his trial, the state tried to maintain that the Kurdish language did not exist. After his release in 1977, Uzun fled to Sweden and was stripped of his Turkish nationality.

   He became a prolific author of a dozen Kurdish-language novels and essays. In the 1990s, his novels began to be translated into European languages. He became a member of the PEN club and a member of the board of directors of the Swedish Writers Union. In 2001, he won the Torgny Segerstedt award for his work in a narrative tradition. Uzun did a great deal toward shaping modern Kurdish literature and reviving the Kurdish tradition of storytelling. He was allowed to return to Turkey in 2005, where he died of cancer.