Choman Hardi
Encyclopedia
Choman Hardi is a contemporary Kurdish
poet, translator and painter. She was born in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan
. In 1975 her family fled to Iran
after the Algiers Accord but returned to Iraq after a general amnesty in 1979. They were forced to move again in 1988 during the Anfal
campaign. She arrived in United Kingdom
in 1993 as a refugee and studied psychology
and philosophy
at Oxford
and University College London
. She did her PhD at University of Kent
focusing on the effects of forced migration
on the lives of Kurdish women from Iraq and Iran. She has published three volumes of poetry in Kurdish
. Her only collection of English
poems titled Life for Us was published by Bloodaxe Books
in 2004. Her articles have appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation
She has been a former chairperson of Exiled Writers Ink! and has organized creative writing workshops for the British Council
in UK, Belgium, Czech Republic and India. She was a resident poet for 10 months at the Moniack Mhor or Scotland's National Writing Centre in 2004. She is a recipient of a Jerwood/Arvon Young Poet's Apprenticeship
. In June 2007, an exhibition of her paintings at the Hawth Arts Centre in Sussex
County. Dr. Hardi is currently doing a post-doc at the Programme for Genocide and Holocaust Studies at Uppsala University
in Sweden.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
poet, translator and painter. She was born in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. In 1975 her family fled to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
after the Algiers Accord but returned to Iraq after a general amnesty in 1979. They were forced to move again in 1988 during the Anfal
Al-Anfal Campaign
The al-Anfal Campaign , also known as Operation Anfal or simply Anfal, was a genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people in Northern Iraq, led by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid in the final stages of Iran-Iraq War...
campaign. She arrived in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1993 as a refugee and studied psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. She did her PhD at University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
focusing on the effects of forced migration
Forced migration
Forced migration refers to the coerced movement of a person or persons away from their home or home region...
on the lives of Kurdish women from Iraq and Iran. She has published three volumes of poetry in Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. Her only collection of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
poems titled Life for Us was published by Bloodaxe Books
Bloodaxe Books
Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specialising in poetry.-History:It was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Joined in 1982 by chairman Simon Thirsk, Astley was later awarded an honorary D.Litt by Newcastle University in 1995...
in 2004. Her articles have appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation
She has been a former chairperson of Exiled Writers Ink! and has organized creative writing workshops for the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
in UK, Belgium, Czech Republic and India. She was a resident poet for 10 months at the Moniack Mhor or Scotland's National Writing Centre in 2004. She is a recipient of a Jerwood/Arvon Young Poet's Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
. In June 2007, an exhibition of her paintings at the Hawth Arts Centre in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
County. Dr. Hardi is currently doing a post-doc at the Programme for Genocide and Holocaust Studies at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in Sweden.
Books
- Return with no memory, Denmark, 1996 (in Kurdish)
- Light of the shadows, Sweden, 1998 (in Kurdish)
- Selected Poems, Iraqi Kurdistan, 2003 (in Kurdish)
- Life for Us, Bloodaxe, 2004 (in English)
- Gendered Experiences of Genocide, Ashgate, 2011 (in English)
External links
- Profile at the Poetry Archive with poems written and audio
- 5 Book Reviews by Anna Battista, Erasing Clouds, Issue 28, November 2004.
- Choman Hardi reading her poetry - a British Library recording, (audio) 27 May 2008.
- Life for Us by Choman Hardi. At Bloodaxe Books
- Choman Hardi, Exiled Writers.
- The British Council, 2004. Out of ourselves
- An Interview with Choman Hardi, Textualities, June 2005.
- Kurdish Art comes to Southern England, By Rob Cole.