Stone Shade Sleep

Stone Shade Sleep: Selected Poems of Suwara Ilkhanizadeh

The Father of Kurdish Free Verse in Iran

Book Description

This definitive English translation presents the revolutionary poetry of Suwara Ilkhanizadeh (1937-1976), the visionary who pioneered modern free verse in Kurdish literature. The collection captures his profound exploration of love, freedom, and Kurdish identity through masterful symbolic imagery rooted in nature and folklore.

About the Author
Suwara Ilkhanizadeh (1937-1976), revered as the Father of Kurdish Free Verse, was born in the rural village of Turjan near Boukan in Iranian Kurdistan. His life journey wove together law, literature, and political activism:

• Early Education: Attended local schools in Kurdistan before pursuing higher education in Tabriz

• Academic Path: Enrolled at University of Tehran’s Faculty of Law (1962), specializing in judicial law

• Political Struggle: Imprisoned for six months at Qezelqaleh Prison (1964) for Kurdish cultural activism

• Media Pioneer: Became the voice of Radio Tehran’s acclaimed Kurdish literary program Tapo û Bomelêl after graduating (1968)

• Tragic End: Died prematurely at 39 following a car accident in Tehran (January 14, 1976)

Key Features

✓ First major English translation of this Kurdish literary pioneer
✓ Faithful translations preserving original lyrical beauty
✓ Critical commentary on his poetic revolution
✓ Signature poems including the titular Stone Shade Sleep
✓ Cultural context of Kurdish poetic traditions

Themes Explored

• The struggle for identity and freedom

• Nature as political metaphor

• Love and human resilience

• Kurdish folklore reimagined

Sample Verses

“Like the throat of a caged partridge singing,
Melodic yet exiled from nature’s embracing…”
(From “Stone Shade Sleep”)

“Light’s daughter trapped in mountain’s claw,
In dark depths standing – yet yearning for the sea’s draw…”