AMED, Turkey - At 7-years of age, Haiva Yuja has already started a career as a writer. The Kurdish girl from the Turkey's city of Amed, also known as Diyarbakir, started her education when she was only three years old and wrote her first book at the age of five. Now the author of seven books, Yuja spoke with Rudaw reporter Omar Faruq Baran on May 28. RUDAW: I have read your book "Sea Tadpoles and Their Stories" four times. How long did it take you to write the book? YUJA: I wrote the book in one week, and then I edited it. I have six more books. My latest one is "Lost Little Frog." The one you are talking about was one of my first books that I wrote at the age of five. "Sea Tadpoles and Their Stories" ends up with a question. You ask readers, what will happen at the end? Why did you finish the story with this question? I gave a chance to kids to keep dreaming and thinking about the end. They can come up with their final thoughts of the story. Kids can write their own conclusion and even draw it. I am not a child, can I also draw the end? You can also write your dreams. You have been in Amed and Merdin [two Kurdish cities in Turkey] book fairs. How were the exhibitions? What do you think of them? Few people came to the Merdin book fair and those who came seemed to consider it entertainment rather than a book event. So, I just signed two books and that is all. But in Amed, it was just wonderful. I have signed 25 books there. I even signed books for writers. People In Amed are bilingual.They speak Kurdish as well as Turkish. As a Kurdish writer, what do you think of this? My parents read me stories in Kurdish and Turkish every night. In my library, I have books in all languages. But I don’t write stories in Turkish, I just can’t. We shouldn’t only study in Kurdish; we must learn other languages too. I know a little English. Oh, how old are you? [Baran asks in English] I am seven People always ask writers why they write. What is your answer? I really love books. Actually, we learn from books, don’t we? That is why I write.
