| Fire, Snow and Honey
- Book |
| Kurd
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Fire, Snow and Honey Voices from Kurdistan |
A collection of essays, life stories, poetry, fables and short fiction
Edited by Gina Lennox
With a foreword by Madame Danielle Mitterrand
Hardback, 677 pages.
23 black and white photos and maps,
with a cover based on a painting by Kurdish artist, Rebwar Tahir,
Published by Halstead Press, Sydney, 2001.
Fire, Snow and Honey is a landmark book. For the first time men and women aged between 23 and 103 from all parts of Kurdistan describe their history, culture and life experiences: their poetry, music, dancing, literature, religions, legends, fables, food and cooking, genocide and armed struggles, and what it is like to become a refugee.
Background
Kurdistan is the land of Noah and Abraham, through which the old Silk Road passed. It is a land of giant mountains and waterfalls, ancient forests and famous rivers, of ritual fire, winter snows and liquid gold: rich in agriculture, petrol and water. In 1923, it was carved up by the League of Nations to form the nation-states of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Ever since the Kurdish people, numbering between 30 and 40 million, have been subject to genocide.
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The People and the Genocide
Fire Snow and Honey mixes essays and life stories of freedom fighters and soldiers, mothers and musicians, doctors, teachers and scholars, villagers and city people, with poetry, fables and short fiction, to lift many veils of secrecy. Foremost is a genocide that has rendered tens of millions of Kurds homeless. Since 1975 an estimated 10,000 villages have been destroyed, over half a million Kurds have 'disappeared', hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned for their political beliefs, some for just speaking the word ‘Kurd’, and over eight million have been deported, their crops and animals destroyed. Fire, Snow & Honey portrays the humanity behind these statistics.
Ancient and Modern History
Veils are also lifted on the origins of the three great monotheistic religions, and the evolution of Indo-European civilisation. By rewriting history from Kurdish perspectives, both ancient and modern, Fire, Snow & Honey challenges common interpretations of international events, and shows how these are interwoven with the Kurdish predicament. Contributors describe how the Iran-Iraqi War was a direct outcome of stopping the Kurdish revolution in northern Iraq. The no-fly zone in northern Iraq, where since 1991, Kurds have governed themselves for the first time in the modern era, is a direct outcome of the battle over Kuwait. As for the future, Fire, Snow & Honey describes how Kurdistan will continue to play a vital role in the region, for it is the source of water for all the nation states now ruling it, and for many of their neighbours.
The Proverbs
The poetry and tragedy of the Kurds are amplified in the Kurdish proverbs used as titles of many contributions. Thus readers will become acquainted with ‘He who does not fight has a sharp sword’, ‘Grass does not stay under a rock’, ‘Words are your own until they leave your mouth’, ‘The eye can see but the hand is short’, ‘See the mother, know the girl’ and ‘Blood cannot be washed with blood’.
The Culture
The life stories portray a time of great revolution and evolution for the Kurdish people. The culture of loyalty and hospitality, of family and village life; of Newroz fires, baking bread, and shepherding sheep in the mountains; of the religions of Ezidism, Alevism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is celebrated, but counterpointed by descriptions of strict rules of community acceptability and the effects of decades of political oppression, armed struggle and often violent death, including that by chemical bombing.
Women
Honest accounts by Kurdish women break another barrier of secrecy, including their strengths and resourcefulness in the face of war and separation, and their reactions to the practises of circumcision, virginity tests and ‘honour punishments’.
An Understanding of the Middle East
Fire, Snow & Honey will inform anyone who wants to understand more about the Middle East. The region is shown to be multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious, but people of different ethnic, religious or political persuasions are routinely imprisoned, tortured or killed, as is anyone who dares talk of democracy, human rights or freedom of the media. The rise of extremism in the Middle East is thus directly related to the governments being undemocratic and corrupt, offering no avenues for social justice. In Madame Mitterrand’s foreword and Gina Lennox’s introduction, it is explained why the Kurdish situation should concern us all, particularly in regards to supporting democracy, wherever it may manifest.
Comments from a contributor and reader:
‘Fire, Snow & Honey - Voices from Kurdistan’ is like no other book dealing with the subjects of Kurds and Kurdistan. It is therefore destined to be a seminal work and a reference book for both the beginner and the experienced…The book aims (and I believe surpasses all reasonable expectations in achieving its aim) at letting Kurdish voices, long silenced at home and ignored abroad, be heard. Eziz Bawermend
Congratulations on your book...It has certainly had a profound effect on me and makes me wonder what our role can be in either making life a bit easier for Kurds in Australia or giving support to the struggle for freedom from suppression in Kurdistan. Judith Turley
To order
Fire, Snow & Honey is a handsome hardback of 677 pages, retailing for $75, but it is also available by direct order at a considerable discount: Per book it is $55 (including GST and postage) within Australia, or A$70 outside Australia.
A box of 10 books costs $480 within Australia or A$620 outside Australia.
To order please send a cheque or money order made payable to
Fire, Snow and Honey, or fill out your card details:
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and post to:
Halstead Press,
Level 5, 19A Boundary Rd,
Rushcutters Bay, NSW, 2011, Australia
or order by e mail: kurdconference@optusnet.com.au
or fax: (+ 61 2) 9319 7728. |
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