Halim Youssef
Biography
Halim Youssef was born in the Kurdish town of Amude, Syria. He graduated in law from the University of Aleppo and has lived in Germany since 2000. Youssef writes in Kurdish and Arabic. In 2015 he received the Kurdish Literature Prize in Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. His works have been published in Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, English and German.
Last Released
99 scattered beads
“It all ended with the blow of the sharp iron that fell on his head. The dreams were over. There was no hope left. The eyesight went out. Longings disperse.”
The murder of Azado, who comes from Syria and lives as a translator in Germany, forms the ending of the novel. He translates for refugees from his homeland and is thus confronted with a wide variety of fates that remind him of his own. He confides in his diary Azado's difficult childhood, his longing for his mother, who died giving birth to him, his first, unfulfilled love, and the fears and problems of refugees. Azado tries to find his way in his new home, but his job as a translator makes the whole thing tense. His past won't let him go. It is also symbolized by the prayer beads with 99 beads that he receives from his first love and that accompanies him throughout his life.
The murder of Azado, who comes from Syria and lives as a translator in Germany, forms the ending of the novel. He translates for refugees from his homeland and is thus confronted with a wide variety of fates that remind him of his own. He confides in his diary Azado's difficult childhood, his longing for his mother, who died giving birth to him, his first, unfulfilled love, and the fears and problems of refugees. Azado tries to find his way in his new home, but his job as a translator makes the whole thing tense. His past won't let him go. It is also symbolized by the prayer beads with 99 beads that he receives from his first love and that accompanies him throughout his life.
