My Country's Hair Turned White

My Country's Hair Turned White

Join us to hear Kashkul’s Jiyar Homer and British poet Mike Baynham speak at University College London about their translation of Dilawar Karadaghi’s My Country’s Hair Turned White, published by Arc Publications in the UK. Please note registration on Eventbrite is essential.

This event at University College London will celebrate the book launch of My Country’s Hair Turned White, a collection of poems by Dilawar Karadaghi, one of the most important contemporary Kurdish poets. Jiyar Homer and Mike Baynham will discuss their translation of Karadaghi’s work, recently published by Arc Publications in the UK. Dilawar Karadaghi’s poetry reflects the long years of persecution, marginalization, and struggle that have defined the Kurdish experience. The poems in this collection are filled with longing, sadness, and loss. The final poem captures the anger and trauma of the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja, when the poet’s “country’s hair turned white.” Following the discussion, there will be a reading of selected poems in both Kurdish and English, offering a unique opportunity to experience Karadaghi’s work in its original language alongside its translation. The event will conclude with a Q&A session.

Jiyar Homer is a translator and editor from Kurdistan, a member of Kashkul, the Center for Arts and Culture at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), and an editor at Îlyan magazine and the Balinde Poetry publishing house. He speaks Kurdish, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Persian. He specializes in translating Latin American literature into Kurdish and Kurdish literature into various languages, bringing over 100 authors into publication in more than 30 countries. His book-length include works by Juan Carlos Onetti, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Farhad Pirbal, Sherzad Hassan and Bachtyar Ali. Additionally, he is a member of Kurdish PEN.

Mike Baynham is a translator and poet from West Yorkshire. In retirement he has returned to an early love of poetry translation, translating mainly from Spanish, Arabic and occasionally from Persian. His translations have been published in a number of publications, including Artrage, Las Flechas de Artemis, Transference. He has collaborated with the Moroccan zejal poet Adil Latefi and with the Kurdish Syrian poet, Ceger Hillo. He was awarded 2nd Prize in the 2023 Stephen Spender Prize for his translation of a poem by Adil Latefi, and received a Commendation in the 2022 Stephen Spender Prize for his translation of a poem by Sohrab Sepehri.
Kashkul is the Center for Arts and Culture at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). Founded in 2016, Kashkul works at the nexus of cultural creation and preservation, believing them to be intrinsically linked. While present emphases include oral history collection, amplification of existing regional preservation efforts, and literary translation, Kashkul has a storied history of curating groundbreaking arts exhibitions, hosting local and international artists, and facilitating a robust slate of events at the university and beyond.

Arc publishes contemporary poetry from new and established writers from the UK and abroad, specialising in the work of international poets writing in English and the work of overseas poets in translation. Arc also has a music imprint, Arc Music, for the publication of books about music and musicians.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, United Kingdom