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Introduction
"It is a long time that I have waited for a proper situation, full of quietness and loneliness, in order to be able to write down some of my memoirs" (Dlzar ?:3).' What the old and prominent Kurdish poet and politician Dlzar says is typical for almost all Kurdish writers unable to produce their memoirs in Kurdistan, their homeland. Living in exile, despite its enormous difficulties, provides a golden opportunity for Kurdish writers and personalities to be able to write in their Kurdish language, which is either officially forbidden, as in Turkey, for example, or is severely suppressed as is the case in Iran.2 In fact the very special situation of Kurdish society, its divided and fragmented nature, has resulted in the development and survival of the Kurdish language in diaspora. A review of the history of the Kurdish language during the 20* century indicates that were it not for the possibility of exile, one could hardly speak of the development of the Kurdish language, especially of Kurmanji, the dialect of the Kurds from Turkey. "The real development of written Kurmanji is still taking place almost entirely in exile" (Kreyenbroek 1992:75).
Among the countries that have become a sanctuary for Kurdish writers during the past two decades, undoubtedly Sweden ranks first. Support from both the Swedish government and Swedish associations have led to the blossoming of Kurdish language and literature. ''After Iraqi Kurdistan and the Caucasus republics in the former Soviet Union, where many Kurds lived and had good possibilities for publication in Kurdish, Sweden is the country where the Kurdish literary activity is at its highest" (Utas 1994:24). According to Utas the active contribution of the Kurds themselves and the generous support of Swedish individuals and institutions are the two main factors behind the flourishing of the Kurdish language and literature in Sweden.
It is difficult to estimate the exact number of Kurds either in their homeland or in Sweden where they are not registered as Kurds but as citizens of the nation-states from which they come, namely Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, sovereign states largely opposed to the representation of Kurdish identity and cultural life. However, the Federation of Kurdish Societies in Sweden estimates the number of Kurds living in Sweden...