A History of Kurdish Poetry

doi:10.1017/9781108623711.029

28 - A History of Kurdish Poetry

from Part VI - Art, Culture and Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 April 2021

Edited by

Cengiz Gunes and

Hamit Bozarslan: Affiliation:
Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris
Cengiz Gunes: Affiliation:
The Open University, Milton Keynes
Veli Yadirgi: Affiliation:
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

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Summary

Kurdish poetry is the predominant and the oldest Kurdish literary genre and continues to play a formative role in Kurdish cultural and political identity. An integral part of uprisings and revolutions, Kurdish poetry has been an active site of resistance and remembrance. Despite its cultural and political significance, however, it has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. Against this backdrop, this chapter offers a brief history of classical and modern Kurdish poetry in the Kurdish dialects of Gorani, Kurmanji and Sorani. Starting with a detailed account of the development of classical poetry and its main trends and conventions, the chapter moves to present a new perspective on the emergence of modern Kurdish poetry, and challenges the established explanation of its emergence. The main stages of the development of modern poetry throughout the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries and its instrumental role in the dissemination of Kurdish nationalism are also discussed.

Keywords

classical Kurdish poetry modern Kurdish poetry Kurdish nationalism Kurdish ghazal

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of the Kurds , pp. 707 - 728

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108623711.029 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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28 - A History of Kurdish Poetry

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