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Download this audio partAbdullah Keykhosravi, a Kurd writer, translator and literary critic from Saqqez and the author of the well-known book The Misfortune of Being Kurd (Masibat-e Kurd Budan), passed away at the age of 78 following a period of illness.
Keykhosravi was born in Saqqez in 1327 in the Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding to 1948–49, and devoted a large part of his life to writing, translation, literary criticism and research on the cultural, social and historical issues of Kurdistan. He also had considerable experience in writing and composing poetry, although his principal place in literary life was as a writer, translator and literary critic. His engagement with poetry was especially evident in his translations and adaptations of works by Kurd poets.
After completing his education in Saqqez, he lived for a period in Tehran. During the 1370s in the Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding broadly to the 1990s, he attended the poetry and fiction workshops of Reza Baraheni. This experience brought him into close contact with a number of writers, poets and important literary currents of the period. Alongside his writing and translation, Keykhosravi regularly took part in literary gatherings, short-story festivals, critical discussions and the evaluation of literary works. He became particularly well known in the cultural circles of Saqqez and Baneh.
His best-known independent work is The Misfortune of Being Kurd, published in 1381 in the Solar Hijri calendar. The book brought his name to wider attention among readers and literary and cultural circles. It examines historical, social and identity-related questions facing Kurd society and seeks, from a critical perspective, to address recurring cycles of crisis, defeat and political and social hardship in the history of Kurdistan.
In The Misfortune of Being Kurd and his other writings, Keykhosravi did not focus solely on external factors. He also subjected the internal shortcomings of Kurd society, structural problems, cultural questions and social conditions to criticism. His view of his native city, Saqqez, emerged from the same critical perspective. In some of his writings, he discussed the city’s cultural and social circumstances in direct and uncompromising language and questioned its condition.
Another significant part of Abdullah Keykhosravi’s career was devoted to translating Kurd literature into Persian. He played an important role in introducing the works of the prominent Kurd writer Sherzad Hassan to Persian-speaking readers and translated a number of his works. The collection Tarbia-ye Khun (Quadrature of Blood) was among the works published in Keykhosravi’s translation and compilation, and included such titles as The Fortress and My Father’s Dogs, Lausanne, That Man Is Beautiful When He Is Angry, and A Meeting in Mokola.
Keykhosravi also attached importance to the translation of Kurd poetry. Three Odes on Freezing, by Rafiq Sabir, was among the works he translated and adapted into Persian. This aspect of his career shows that his literary interests were not confined to fiction and the novel; contemporary Kurd poetry also occupied an important place in his work.
He was active in newspapers and literary journals as well, publishing a range of essays, criticism and interviews. His subjects extended from Kurd literature to the analysis and criticism of works by Persian-language writers and artists. His writings included studies and critical pieces on the works of Sherzad Hassan, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi and Masoud Kimiai.
His participation in literary festivals and gatherings was another important part of his literary life. Abdullah Keykhosravi took part in several editions of the Baneh Short Story Festival as a critic, speaker and member of academic or judging panels. He was also one of the judges in the novel section of the first Ibrahim Younesi Kurd Book Literary Award. These activities show that his role was not limited to writing and publishing his own work; he also contributed consistently to the criticism, evaluation and development of Kurd fiction.
In recent years, Keykhosravi’s name was also associated with other works of fiction. The novels The Weight of Weightlessness and My Family Adventures and My Disturbed Conscience were introduced under his name, while several other works had previously been mentioned as manuscripts or works awaiting publication.
News of Abdullah Keykhosravi’s death drew a broad response among media outlets, writers, cultural activists and readers of Kurd literature. Many published tributes have emphasized his position as a critical writer, an active translator who helped carry Kurd literature into Persian, and a sustained presence in the literary life of Saqqez and Kurdistan.
Abdullah Keykhosravi belonged to a generation that did not separate literature from the history, identity and social questions of Kurdistan. Questions of identity, language, culture, history and the lived experience of Kurd society remained present throughout his writing, translations and criticism. The Misfortune of Being Kurd will remain his best-known work, but his contributions to translation, fiction, criticism, journalism and cultural activity also form an important part of his literary legacy.
Selected works and translations by Abdullah Keykhosravi
- The Misfortune of Being Kurd (مصیبت کورد بودن)
- Tarbia-ye Khun (تربیع خون) — a collection of translated works by Sherzad Hassan
- The Fortress and My Father’s Dogs (حصار و سگهای پدرم) — by Sherzad Hassan
- Lausanne (لوزان) — by Sherzad Hassan
- That Man Is Beautiful When He Is Angry (آن مرد هنگام خشم زیباست) — by Sherzad Hassan
- A Meeting in Mokola (دیدار در موکولا) — by Sherzad Hassan
- Three Odes on Freezing (سه قصیده در باب انجماد) — poems by Rafiq Sabir, translated and adapted by Keykhosravi
- The Weight of Weightlessness (ثقل بیوزنی) — novel
- My Family Adventures and My Disturbed Conscience (ماجراهای فامیلی و ضمیر مخدوش من) — novel
- My Umbilical Cord and Our Twelve Stem Cells (بند ناف من و دوازده سلول بنیادی ما) — one of his identified works of fiction
The Media Centre of the Kurdistan Independence Party regards the passing of Abdullah Keykhosravi as a loss to the culture and literature of Kurdistan and extends its condolences to his family, relatives, friends, the cultural and literary community of Saqqez, and all readers and admirers of his work. May his memory and name be honoured.
