‘A genius’: Kurds mourn revered poet Jalal Malaksha

MALAKSHA, Iran — Poets, politicians and fans have paid tribute to Jalal Malaksha, a prominent Kurdish poet who for decades brought the plight of Kurds to life on paper.

Malaksha died on Saturday from a lung condition at the age of 69. His funeral was attended by a large crowd, including family, friends, poets, writers and admirers of his work.

"As you all know, my father dedicated his entire life to serve Kurdish literature and embody the plight of his nation in his poems," Malaksha’s son Shaho told Rudaw English through tears. "My father had a chronic ailment in his lungs. He could no longer endure the pain. Yesterday evening, he left us forever."

The 40-year-old was touched at the large crowds who turned out to pay a final goodbye to his father, buried at Bahasht Mohammedi cemetery in his village of Malaksha, 20 kilometers west of Sanandaj.

"I feel pleased when I see such a large turn-out despite the coronavirus, out of their loyalty to him. They help heal our pain.”

Malaksha is survived by three sons.

The late poet touched upon the suffering and persecution of Kurds in his work, and was imprisoned several times before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution for the “political nature” of his work, Shaho said.

Admirers of his work have said he created a “golden era” for Kurdish poetry.

"The life of Jalal Malaksha could be divided into three phases, with one before the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979. Due to his close ties with [Tehran], he used to write his poems in Persian. Following the revolution and the subsequent events of East Kurdistan, he started to write and recite poems in Kurdish. He had a style of his own,” said Mahmood Mahmoodi, a poet from Sanandaj.

Prominent officials also paid tribute to Malaksha following his death.

"I share in my sorrows with poets," wrote Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. 

'A genius'

Adil Barzanji, a writer and a close friend of Malaksha described him as "an adventurous and critical poet."

"It is a disaster. It is heartbreaking. The king of East Kurdistan's poems has passed away. He was born in pain and died in pain. A genius poet of Iranian Kurdistan has bade [us] farewell.”

Barzanji said Malaksha was an editor of Urmia's Kurdish magazine for 14 years, and served as editor-in-chief of Erbil's Prshing Magazine. He was also a member of the Iran Writers Council.

Poet Simin Chaichi, a close friend of Malaksha, described his death as "heartbreaking".

"It is a heartbreaking passing. His death will create a great vacuum in Iranian Kurdistan’s literature," she said. "What was really important was that he dedicated his life to serve literature and human values such as justice."

"The passion and loyalty of his fans at this procession tells us how understanding he was of the grief of every single one of these people here," she said.

Although he was well-loved, his fans have said they wish he was revered in life as well as in death.

"Unfortunately, the bulk of our poets die lonely. I had visited Mr. Jalal many times. He had dedicated his whole life to serving Kurdish literature. It is unfortunate to see that our people are reminded of such people only after their deaths. This is so heartbreaking," said Soma Haider.

Translated by Zhelwan Z. Wali