President Barzani mourns Kurdish literary icon Jamal Sharbaziri

Shafaq News / Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his condolences today, Tuesday, to the family of the late Kurdish poet Jamal Sharbaziri upon his passing.

In a statement issued by the Kurdistan Region Presidency, President Barzani stated, "I extend my deepest condolences to the family of the late Kurdish poet Jamal Sharbaziri and all intellectuals of Kurdistan, praying that the departed soul may rest in peace and that everyone may find solace and patience."

Barzani further added that "the late poet served the literary and cultural field in Kurdistan with his works, offering readers a rich collection of beautiful poetry and texts."

Renowned as a prominent modernist Kurdish poet and one of the signatories of the Rwanga Literary Statement in the early 1970s, Jamal Sharbaziri passed away yesterday, Monday, at the age of eighty-two in London.

Sharbaziri was born on October 1, 1941, in the village of Wazheh, located in the Chwarta district of al-Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region.

Sharbaziri was one of the five poets and intellectuals who signed the Rwanga Statement in the early 1970s, along with Sherko Bekeh, Kaka Botani, Jalal Mirza Kareem, and Hussein Aref. They constituted a group of progressive and rebellious writers who signed the statement, which served as a call for modernization in Kurdish poetry and literature. They played a prominent role in the development of modern Kurdish poetry and short stories by employing contemporary terms, new expressions, and introducing changes in poetic content.

They revolutionized both the form and content, focusing on social and political issues as well as human emotions. Their poems showcased a phenomenon of social rebellion and defiance against authority. Despite facing initial criticism in the early stages of their literary movement, they made a significant and transformative leap that marked a promising beginning in the world of Kurdish poetry and literature.