Cigerxwîn facts for kids

Cigerxwîn (pronounced Jee-ger-khween) was a very important Kurdish writer and poet. He lived from 1903 to 1984. Many people consider him one of the most influential Kurdish writers and poets in the Kurdistan region of the Middle East.

His work has inspired hundreds of songs. He also played a huge role in keeping Kurdish cultural heritage alive and strong.

About Cigerxwîn

Cigerxwîn's real name was Sheikhmous Hasan. His pen name, Cigerxwîn, means "bleeding liver" in the Kurdish language. He was born in 1903 in Hesar, a Kurdish village near the city of Batman in what was then the Ottoman Empire. We know the year he was born, but not the exact day or month.

In 1914, when World War I began, his family had to leave their home. They became refugees and moved to Amude, a town near Qamishli in present-day north-eastern Syria.

Early Life and Politics

Cigerxwîn studied to become a religious leader and finished his studies in 1921. He and his friends started a Kurdish group in Amude. In 1946, he moved to Qamishli and became very involved in politics.

That same year, he became the secretary of a group called "Civata Azadî û Yekîtiya Kurd," which means "Kurdish Freedom and Union Front." In 1948, he joined the Communist Party of Syria. He even ran as a candidate for the Syrian Parliament in 1954.

In 1957, he left the Communist Party to start his own group called "Azadî," meaning "Freedom." Later, this new party joined with the Kurdish Democratic Party of Syria.

Life in Exile

Because of his political activities, Cigerxwîn was arrested and put in jail in Damascus in 1963. He was later sent away to the city of Suwayda.

In 1969, he moved to Iraqi Kurdistan. There, he joined the Kurdish uprising led by Mustafa Barzani. In 1973, he went to Lebanon. While there, he published a very famous collection of his poems called Kîme Ez? (which means "Who Am I?").

He returned to Syria in 1976. But three years later, when he was about 75 or 76 years old, he had to leave again. This time, he went to Sweden. In Sweden, he was able to publish several more collections of his poems.

Cigerxwîn passed away in Stockholm, Sweden, when he was 80 or 81 years old. His body was brought back to Kurdistan and buried at his home in Qamishli.

His Writings and Impact

Cigerxwîn started writing poetry in 1924. After a big rebellion by Sheikh Said failed, he became a member of the "Xoybûn" (Independence) party. This party was started by Kurdish thinkers who had to leave their homes and move to Syria.

He began sharing his poems in the Kurdish journal Hawar. His poems mixed modern ideas of romanticism and realism with the traditional style of Kurdish poetry.

Themes in His Poetry

In his poems, Cigerxwîn often spoke out against old, unfair systems like feudalism and strict religious rules. He believed these systems made life hard for Kurdish workers and farmers. He also felt that these old ways were stopping Kurds from gaining freedom and independence.

In 1961, he helped create a new department for the Kurdish language at the University of Baghdad. This department focused on the Northern Kurdish dialect, called Kurmanji. Around the same time, he also worked in the Kurdish section of Radio Baghdad.

Cigerxwîn wrote in the Kurmanji dialect. His poetry had such a huge impact on Kurdish people and culture that his time is sometimes called the "Jigerkhwin-period" in Kurdish poetry. He made sure to respect the works of older Kurdish poets like Jaziri and Ahmad Khani. His poems were simple and often called for change. They were very popular, even if they sometimes focused more on the message than on being super fancy.

He published eight collections of his poems. He also wrote a book about Kurdistan's history, a dictionary for the Kurdish language, and a book about Kurdish folklore.

Published Works

Here are some of the books Cigerxwîn published:

Poem Collections

• First Collection of Poems, Dîwana yekem: Prîsk û Pêtî, 1945 Damascus.
• Second Collection of Poems, Dîwana diwem: Sewra Azadî, 1954 Damascus.
• Third Collection of Poems, Dîwana sêyem: Kîme Ez?, 1973 Beirut.
• Fourth Collection of Poems, Dîwana çarem: Ronak, Roja Nû Publishers, 1980 Stockholm.
• Fifth Collection of Poems, Dîwana pêncem: Zend-Avista, Roja Nû Publishers, 1981 Stockholm.
• Sixth Collection of Poems, Dîwana şeşem: Şefeq, Roja Nû Publishers, 1982 Stockholm.
• Seventh Collection of Poems, Dîwana heftem: Hêvî, Roja Nû Publishers, 1983 Stockholm.
• Eighth Collection of Poems, Dîwana heştem: Aştî, Kurdistan Publishers, 1985 Stockholm.

Language and Culture Books

• Destûra Zimanê Kurdî (The Grammar of Kurdish Language), 1961 Baghdad.
• Ferheng, perçê yekem (Kurdish Dictionary, First Part), 1962 Baghdad.
• Ferheng, perçê diwem (Kurdish Dictionary, Second Part), 1962 Baghdad.

History Book

• Tarîxa Kurdistan (History of Kurdistan), 3 Volumes, 1985, 1987 Stockholm.

See also

• A list of famous Kurdish poets, writers and philosophers, see CEGERXWÎN
• Classic and Modern Kurdish Poetry, by Farhad Shakely
• List of Books written by Cegerxwîn
• Ismail Besikci, International Colony Kurdistan, (London: Parvana) 2004, 160 pp., ISBN: 1-903656-31-1.
• Yazidis