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culture in which poetry is advanced, he saw that it was a good chance for him to increase
his knowledge about his own culture through poetry. And he continuously educated
himself through reading poetry, studying, writing and memorizing poetry. And then he
started to write poems. And in the 70s he published his first poems, and at the very
beginning the critics said that a new star is shining in Kurdish poetry. So this was his
beginning, his starting point.
EM: Who were your favorite poets, and why do you like them?
MQ: There’s another problem with us Kurds, that is, Kurdish people. At the
beginning, he didn’t know anything about Kurdish poetry. But he had a friend, a
Christian friend, his name was Theodor Yuhena. He was the first one to write some of
Xanî’s poems for him. So at that time he liked Xanî. But after that he liked all the
Classical Kurdish poets. But it was too late, I mean, because he already started without
knowing anything about Kurdish poetry. But for him he regards Cezîrî the best poet, not
only on the level of the Kurdish world, I mean, but all over the world.
EM: Can you speak about the changes in Kurdish poetry as it developed?
MQ: At the beginning Kurdish poetry consisted of the likes of Cezîrî, Fekir
Tehran, Nalbend. It was written in their Classical form with one line here and one line on
the other side. But starting from 1972, the beginning of the 70s, you can say modern
poetry started with Mihsin Quçan, Adbulrahman Mizuri, and Feisel Mustafa. Some
people say Mihsin Quçan came at the first. Some say, for example, the other one. But
with these there poets, Kurdish poetry was changed into the modern style. As for Sorani
before them, it was changed before them. Even Kurmancî 214 was changed before them in
Syria, like Mir Amadat, but they didn’t know about each other.
Starting from the 80s, like 1981, 1982, Kurdish poetry was just in one form. I
mean, after it was free verse, free poetry. It was all about patriotism―national poetry. For
example, if you said “my sweetheart,” it referred to Kurdistan. If you said, “my mother,”
214 Quçan is likely referring to poets like Cegerxwîn who’s family fled to Syria when he was young.