Mehmed Uzun

is widely regarded as a pioneer of the modern Kurdish novel. Born in Siverek (Sêwreg), in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa Province, he began writing in his mother tongue at a time when the Kurdish language was banned. Forced into exile, he spent nearly three decades in Sweden as a political refugee, where he became a prolific writer, producing around a dozen novels and essays in Kurdish. Uzun was a member of PEN International and the Swedish Writers’ Association. He returned to Istanbul in 2005 and died two years later from stomach cancer. He is survived by his wife, Zozan, and their two children.