'A masterpiece'
Bachtyar Ali’s ‘Occupation of Darkness’ gears up for third release
SULAYMANIYAH, January 16 — Author and poet Bachtyar Ali’s novel “Occupation of Darkness,” is awaiting the release of its third edition by Rahand Publishing Center.
First published in 2020 and set against the political situation of modern Turkey, the narrative unfolds predominantly between 1945 and 1970, encapsulating the post-World War II era to the Kenan Evren military coup.
Aram Siddiq, Director of the Rahand Center, told 964media that the new edition is currently being printed and is slated for release in the near future. Following the tradition of the previous two editions, the novel will be presented in a hardcover format.
“Occupation of Darkness” stands as the 10th novel penned by Ali and has been translated into the Persian and Arabic languages.
In a reflective note on the historical context, Ali emphasized the prolonged suppression of Kurds and the Kurdish language in Turkey. He remarked, “Isn’t it strange that a nation has been officially banned from its language and existence for more than 70 years, but has not written much about that history?”
“The fact that we have not written anything great about the history of silencing the Kurdish people has always been a great moral and spiritual burden on my shoulders. I lived with it a lot before writing the novel and prepared for many years,” Ali continued.
Ali described the text as a resistance against forgetfulness, an exploration of self through the lens of colonial narratives, and a pursuit to comprehend the occupying other.
