Poet and novelist.

She was born in 1978 in Amed (Diyarbakır). She began working for Kurdish and Turkish newspapers as a correspondent and editor from an early age. Her poems, which were published in the newspaper Azadiya Welat and the magazine Jiyana Rewşen between the years of 1999 and 2003, were collected into a book titled Goristana Stêrkan (The Graveyard of Stars) in 2004. Her poems mainly explore feelings of death, exile and nothingness. In addition to her two volumes of poetry, Çakar has written a book of short stories, an encyclopedia about Diyarbakır’s culture, history, and geography, prose texts based on the Sacred Avesta and published under the title Leylanok (The Mirage), and a novel. She has participated in panel discussions and conferences held in the Southern Kurdistan, Turkey, and Europe on the topics of modern Kurdish poetry, the place of Kurdish women in Kurdish poetry, and women’s voices and images in the ballads of the dengbêjs (traditional Kurdish bards) . Çakar, one of the founder members of the Kurdish Writers’ Association, has six published books, five of which are literary. Her poems and writings have been translated into Turkish, Arabic, German, and English, and have been published in various periodicals. Yildiz Çakar lives in Diyarbakır.

Works:

Poetry:

Goristana Stêrkan (The Graveyard of Stars), Elma Editions, 2004

Derî (The Door), Avesta Editions, 2012

Script:

Ala (Ala), The Union of Writers – Duhok Editions, 2008

Novel:

Gerîneka Guernicayê (The Guernica Whirlpool), Lîs Editions, 2016

Research and Essays:

Amed Kültür Tarih Coğrafya (The Culture, History and Geography of Amed), with Amed Tîgrîs, The Metropolitan Municipality of Diyarbakır Editions, 2012

Leylanok (The Mirage), Avesta Editions, 2014

Awards:

The Mesopotamia Culture Centre – Istanbul Script Competition Prize for her short story titled Pelweşîna Li Biharê (Defoliation in Springtime)

The Tîrêjên Zînê Prize for her short story titled Zayîna Çewt (The Wrong Birth)

The Musa Anter Prize for her poem titled Tu (Thou)

Contact information:

Email address: yildizcakar@hotmail.com