Magin_Edward-thesis

2. Literature review
2.1 History of Kurdish and Kurdish-related poetry, with historical context
Among Kurds there is no clear distinction between oral and written cultures.
Historically, these cultures are intermingled, despite separation of literate elite from the
larger illiterate class in society. Additionally, the language groups making up the Kurds
borrow from one another and from other influential cultures, i.e. Arabic and Persian
narratives. As well, some poets and writers have utilized oral ballads, traditional Kurdish
stories, in their written compositions (e.g. Dimdim, Mem û Zîn, and Khaj û Siyamend)
(Hassanpour 1996:50).
Before the 20 th century, literature written by Kurds consisted mostly of poetry.
Kurds predominately wrote in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, the nearby prestigious
languages, rather than in their own language. The earliest Kurdish poetry so well
reproduced that of Arabic and Persian poetry that it is safe to propose that such imitative
styles were refined by the time of the earliest known poets. Folk poetry, such as song,
was more prominent than literature in Kurdish society, and “Kurdish poetry and prose
narratives were transmitted orally” (Kreyenbroek 2005).
Throughout history wherever Kurds have resided, there have been social and
political situations that have encumbered the development of Kurdish society and culture.
To this day, a full record of Kurdish literature has not been produced (Shakely 2002).
According to Shakely (2002), the list in Table 1 embodies the best of the works dealing
with the history of Kurdish literature.
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