Osman Sabri or Osman Sebrî (1905–1993) was a Kurdish poet, writer and journalist.

Biography

Sabri was born on 5 January 1905 in the village of Narince near Kâhta in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He received his education with help from his uncle as he lost his father at the age of eight. Sabri was already interested in Kurdish history and poetry as a youngster. Both his family and he were involved in the failed Sheik Said Rebellion led by Sheikh Said. The ones apprehended were tried. Two uncles of him were hung in

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

while he was imprisoned. After his release in 1928, he took refuge in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in 1929, where he got in contact of the leaders of

Xoybûn Xoybûn or Khoybun () was a Kurdish nationalist political party, that is known for leading the Ararat rebellion, commanded by Ihsan Nuri. Many Armenians joined the movement as well, the party was active in all parts of Kurdistan until it was d ...

. While in Syria, he got to know many Kurdish intellectuals such as Celadet Bedir Khan, Cegerxwîn, and Qedrîcan. After the establishment of

Republic of Ararat The Republic of Ararat, also known as the Kurdish Republic of Ararat,Abbas Vali, ''Essays on the origins of Kurdish nationalism'', Mazda Publishers, 2003, p. 199./ref> was a self-proclaimed Kurdish people, Kurdish state from 1927 to 1931. It w ...

during the Ararat rebellion, he tried to join the revolt, but he was again imprisoned by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

authorities in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Although he was freed in 1935, the British forced him into exile to

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

one year later in 1936. He went to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

in 1937, and again became involved in the Xoybûn and in the Kurdish publications in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. He was employed by the French Mandate administration between 1944 and 1949, the year he was dismissed by the Ministry of the Interior. He also took part in founding the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria in 1957 and was elected as the secretary general of that party. Within the party, he was an adherent of the ideology of

Mustafa Barzani Mustafa Barzani (14 March 1903 – 1 March 1979), also known as Mullah Mustafa, was a Kurdish nationalist leader and one of the most prominent political figures in modern Kurdish politics. In 1946, he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan ...

Works

He published many articles in different Kurdish journals, such as '' Hawar'' (1932), ''Ronahî'' (1943), ''Roja Nû'' (1943), ''Hêviya Welêt'' (in Europe, 1963), ''Çiya'' (in Europe, 1966), ''Hêvî'' (Paris, 1983), ''Berbang'' (Sweden, 1983), ''Roja Nû'' (Sweden, 1979). He published a book on the Latin-based

Kurdish alphabet Kurdish is written using either of two alphabets: the Latin-based Bedirxan or Hawar alphabet, introduced by Celadet Alî Bedirxan in 1932 and popularized through the Hawar magazine, and the Kurdo-Arabic alphabet. The Kurdistan Region has agr ...

in 1954.

Books

# Apo, “Gotinên xav nepijîn bê tav”, Germany, 1981. # Elîfbêya Tikuz, 1982. #Çar Leheng, Syria, 40 pp., 1984. #Bahoz û çend nivîsarên din, 68 pp., 1956. #Elîfbeya Kurdî, 56 pp., Syria, 1955. #Derdên me (gotar û helbest) #Dîwana Osman Sebrî (Collection of Poems), 215 pp., Stockholm, 1998. #Bîranînên Osman Sebrî (Memoirs), 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabri, Osman People from Kâhta Kurdish-language writers 20th-century Kurdish writers 1905 births 1993 deaths