Novelist, story writer, essayist

Bawer Rûken was born in 1985 in the village of Hajiler in the Bozova district of Urfa province. He graduated from Mersin University’s Faculty of Education. He enrolled in the masters program in Kurdology department in Mardin Artuklu University but left it unfinished. He began writing in Kurdish when he was young. His literary writings were published in Azadiya Welat newspaper. His first stories were published in Çirûsk and Tîroj magazines. His first collection of stories, Dojeha Veşartî (Secret Hell), was published in 2011. Between 2011 and 2012, he prepared and presented a radio program called Destar, on the topic of Kurdish literature, for Net Radio in Urfa. He was one of the founders of Wêje û Rexne and Zarema magazines.

His stories and novels grapple with the effects of the psychic ruptures that took place in the 1990s, and through their characters, they tackle the themes of loneliness and alienation from society. He features linguistic fragments and experimental novel techniques in his writings in order to explore the possibilities presented by the modern and postmodern novel. In his first book of stories, Dojeha Veşartî (Secret Hell), he examines the crisis of the young generation, while his first novel, Qalik (The Shell), masterfully crafted, deals with characters  who have been cast out of society.

Rûken has also participated in panels, meetings, and conferences about modern Kurdish fiction in the Northern and Southern parts of Kurdistan. His stories have been translated into Turkish.

Works:

Short stories:

Dojeha Veşartî (Secret Hell) 2011, Avesta Editions

Novel:

Qalik (The Shell) 2014, Avesta Editions

Awards:

First prize in the Hüseyin Çelebi Short Story Competition for his story “Neftelîn”.

Contact information :

E-mail: rukenba@hotmail.com