Mehmet Uzun 1953-2007

A prolific writer and linguist of the Kurdish language, Uzun lived in exile in Sweden from 1977, where he led successful literary career. He was the writer of Turkey’s first modern Kurdish novel, Tu (You, 1985) and edited the first anthology of Kurdish literature which included over one hundred writers and poets from across the Kurdish regions. Over the years his work has faced censorship and restrictions in Turkey, but has been lauded internationally and translated into over 20 languages.