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A Fire in My Heart, Kurdish Tales 19.1.2008
Book by Diane Edgecomb. Reviewed: Lokman Ablakhi |
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January 19, 2008
An artist, a writer, and a storyteller is only part
of what Diane Edgecomb is known for. Diane is also
known for understanding and supporting the Kurdish
cause in Kurdistan. Despite her busy schedule, Diane
has always been a close friend of the New England
Kurdish Community: helping them, supporting them and
advising them.
On the personal level, when I was a part of the
Referendum Movement in North America, Diane was a
great supporter of the Referendum Movement for
Kurdistan and helped me in many ways,www.ekurd.net
Including but not
limited to visiting Congressman Bill Delahunt to
present the signatures which were collected for an
independent Kurdistan from the Kurds living in the
U.S. and in Canada.
In an effort to introduce the Kurdish Folk, Diane
made an exceptional effort traveling to Northern
Kurdistan (Turkey Kurdistan) where she,www.ekurd.net
despite Turkey’s
aggressiveness, visited Kurdistani villages and
spoke with old Kurdish folks. She asked them
questions and listened to and documented the Kurdish
stories they told.
Gathering all of this valuable information resulted
in creating this book, the first book in the US to
present to her American fellows, especially their
children, an introduction to the Kurdish people and
their Folklore. |
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This book is about the Kurdish people. It is about
how they tell stories and what kind of stories they
tell Kurdish children. It is about the games the
Kurdish children play for fun and what are the rules
of thesegames in a simple and interesting way.
Through this book, Americans, children and adults
will bond with the Kurds and their folklore. It
would be a wonderful gift for
any school or town library.
This wonderful new book is also perfect for Kurdish
families.
Filled with Kurdish folktales from North South and
East Kurdistan, recipes, proverbs and games. It also
has a map and a history of Kurdistan.
This beautiful hard cover book has lots of great
drawings, designs from Kurdish tribal rugs and color
photos.
Fox tales, the legend of Kawa, Rusteme Zal and funny
stories are just a few.
You can buy A Fire in My Heart: Kurdish Tales online
at the Libraries Unlimited website.
http://lu.com/showbook.cfm?isbn=9781591584377
Or at your local bookstore by asking for ISBN #
978-1-59158-437-7
If you are international there are phone numbers
where you can buy the book within your region.For
International orders:
http://lu.com/ord_info.cfm
As a Kurd, I am privileged to promote this book not
only for its rich contents but also because it is
meant to introduce the Kurdish culture to the
Americans and, in fact, to all those who read
English.
Lokman Ablakhi, You may reach the author via
email at: besarani22 (at) msn.com
Description of the Book
The largest ethnic group without their own
nation-state, there are an estimated 30-40 million
Kurds living throughout the world today. The
majority live in Kurdistan, a region stretching over
parts of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. As a minority
in these countries, the Kurds have struggled for
independence throughout history and into recent
times and have often been oppressed, persecuted and
deported from their land. The purpose of this volume
is to introduce readers to the Kurdish people, their
cultural traditions and their stories.
This unique collection, the first of its kind in
English, features tales collected first-hand by the
author during several years of travel to the Kurdish
region of Turkey. A Fire In My Heart serves as a
reference and program resource for educators and
librarians, introducing students and the public to
this ancient culture. The book is especially suited
to those working with Middle Eastern children and
their families in the US and abroad. From the
Kurdish Cinderella story, "Fatima," and humorous
animal tales to stories based on legendary figures,
for example the Herculean Rusteme Zal, these
thirty-three tales from the varied regions of
Kurdistan and the four major dialects are a
wonderful resource for storytellers, folklorists and
scholars. After seven years recording Kurdish
tellers and traveling to remote mountain villages
the author provides a valuable collection of
previously unpublished tales, traditional recipes
and games. The book is augmented by stories
translated and adapted from small tale collections
in Kurdish, as well as rare color photos from
Iraqi-Kurdistan in 1955 and recent photos of village
life. Background information on the Kurdish people,
their history, land and customs is provided. All
levels.
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