Farhad Pirbal’s story “The Lion,” translated by Jiyar Homer and Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse, has been selected as the sole representative of Kurdish literature in the Best Literary Translations 2024 anthology from U.S.-based publisher Deep Vellum.
“Best Literary Translations is a new annual anthology that celebrates world literatures in English translation in the United States,” Homer, a translator and editor, wrote in a post on Facebook.
“Compared to other Middle Eastern languages, Kurdish literature is less well known in the West. During the British colonial period in the twentieth century in Iraq, some examples of Kurdish literature were translated into English. However, this trend largely stopped until the twenty-first century, when a few local and foreign translators began to highlight this forgotten literature," Homer said.
"In 2016, Dr. Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse founded Kashkul, the Center of Arts and Culture at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), where hundreds of Kurdish works have been translated into several languages, primarily English and Spanish, spreading Kurdish literature to over 30 countries. The publication of Farhad Pirbal's story "The Lion" as the sole representative of Kurdish literature in the prestigious Best Literary Translations 2024 anthology is another step in promoting this rich but marginalized literature.”
A Kurdish story features among the best English translations of 2024!
— Jiyar Homer (@Jiyar_Homer) June 15, 2024
Farhad Pirbal's story “The Lion,” translated by Jiyar Homer and Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse has been selected as the sole representative of Kurdish literature in the Best Literary Translations 2024 anthology. pic.twitter.com/ayay4Xzkpm
While more than 500 poems, stories, and essays from 80 countries and nearly 60 languages were nominated for Best Literary Translations 2024, just 33 works from 19 languages were selected this year to be translated by 38 literary translators.
Pirbal, a well-known Kurdish writer born in Erbil, has published more than 70 books of his writing and translation, including his collected poems, Refugee Number 33,333, and his debut short story collection, The Potato Eaters, both forthcoming from Deep Vellum.
Both Homer and Levinson-LaBrosse are members of Kashkul, the Center for Arts and Culture at the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah (AUIS).
Since 2016, Kashkul has published over 2,000 pages of literature in translation, mentoring over 60 emerging translators and introducing over 40 authors from the Kurdistan Region to English.
