The Kirkuk Group

Fifty Years of Presence in Iraqi Culture

( Essay )

Anwar Al-Ghassani

December 2003

……..……………..………………...................……….………….

Content

Prologue ……….……..……………..……………..................………….…………......3

A. History And Context - Kirkuk in The Fifties And Early Sixties of
The 20th Century.………………..……………..................………….……………... 3

1. The City…………………….……………………......................…………………….…3
2. The Culture..……..…………………………...................………………………….…5

B. Three Periods ..…………………………………………………….……13

1. The Kirkuk Period (1953-1963) ..…....................................….13

a. The Rose And Its Fragrance .…………………………….……………13
b. The Kirkuk Group – Core and Outer Circle….…………………….…13
c. Rebels, Lovers, Long-Distance Walkers, Café And Park Addicts 14

2. The Baghdad Period (1964-1970) ….....…………………….………….........…16
3. Exile And Diaspora Period (1971-present)…...…………………………......… 21

C. Impact on Iraqi Literature And Culture…..….…...……………….…......…… 24
D. Writings About The Kirkuk Group…..………………..……………............…… 25
E. Center for Kirkuk Group Studies…. ………………..……………...........……… 25
F. The Kirkuk Group at Present – Renovating Iraqi Culture…....……..….. 26

Epilogue – Zero-Sum Theory of Creativity ………….......……....…….…………28

Bibliography ………………………………………………………........................……… 28

Author……………………………………………….…………….……...… 30

Appendix…….………………………………………….………..………… 31

1. Members of The Kirkuk Group…………………..………….…………31
2. Kirkuk Intellectuals…………………………….…………….…………34

(..................)

B. Three Periods

1. The Kirkuk Period (1953-1963)

a. The Rose And Its Fragrance

They came to know each other when they were high school students in Kirkuk. They were all interested in literature and arts, met by coincidence and became friends.
They never identified themselves as a literary group or issued any document to that effect. The name "The Kirkuk Group" was coined by the press in Baghdad in the sixties. The justification of the name is based on the common characteristics of their ideas, conduct, lifestyle, their works and their revolutionary renovation of Iraqi and Arabic literature.

Almost all of them came from middle and lower middle class and worker families. Their ethnic and religious background was as diverse as that of Kirkuk. There were Arabs, Turcomans, Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians among KG members. Each spoke a mother tongue and one or more of other ethnic languages of Kirkuk. Turcomenish and Arabic were the main conversation languages. Arabic was their main writing language. For Arab and non-Arab group members it was and still is their writing lingua franca. They all commanded English in different degrees of proficiency. Decades later, many of them would learn and acquire commend or several other European languages.

KG is representative of Kirkuk, one of the most prominent spots where Iraqi diversity and unity is manifested in an impressive way. Since its inception and until today, KG has been representative of what Iraq is. It is a Kirkukian rose with multiple fragrances, symbol of the soul and identity of Iraq, its diversity and unity. Group members have always been conscious and proud of this fact.

b. The Kirkuk Group – Core and Outer Circle

There is no complete biographical information covering all KG members. This has yet to be done. When the group emerged, core group members where in ages between thirteen and sixteen. Later, an outer circle of members was formed. This included persons who were much older, many of them were professionals and government employees, IPC employees or freelancers. (See the lists in the annex.)

In real life there was no such a thing like core and outer circle members. Yet this classification is necessary to understand the dynamics of relations and roles within the group.
The classification of members follows certain criteria. A core member:

- Is a founding member of the group.
- Has been continuously active and productive.
- Has been leading in representing the basic ideas of the group.
- Has active and continuous communication and friendship relations with
other core members.

c. Rebels, Lovers, Long-Distance Walkers, Café And Park Addicts

During the early formative years in Kirkuk most KG members were still high school students, the majority of them were not diligent. They met at homes, streets, cafés and parks to read and discuss their writings, inform about their recent readings and exchange views about a whole variety of issues. They were also great walkers and wanderers. They took long-distance walks in and around Kirkuk. Those walks were mobile discussion forums. They had a passion for discussion.
Those were their real school, research and learning spaces, their university.
Those were their learning habits, style and passions that would stay with them for all times.

KG members are, above all, rebels. They rejected, sometime gratuitously, wholesale and even indiscriminately, the content and norms of the culture they grew within. This rejection was almost always an emotional manifestation of their rejection of the state of affairs and the status quo around them, which they considered backward and influenced by reactionary and imperialistic tendencies of the ruling monarchy.

However, since they belonged to diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, this emotional rejection should not be considered a logical and final rejection of all their indigenous cultures, i.e. the specific ethnic cultures within which group member grew up. Generally, these cultures stayed on the margin, yet they were formative elements and nothing could eliminate them from the lives and characters of group members.
The other important and active element of their formation and education was classical Arabic literature which was always appreciated and studied as the major source of Arabic, the main writing language of the group.

Although indigenous cultures and classical Arabic literature did have their role and importance, they were considered backgrounds and were somehow on the sidelines. Contemporary Iraqi, Arab and world literature, arts and politics, particularly their most recent, radical, extreme and promising schools and trends, where the actual field of interest for KG members.

Did the group work its way towards an alternative culture? The group never represented its vision and ideas in terms of alternatives or advocated a model for an alternative culture.
Certainly, there were elements of an alternative culture in different stages of definition in the minds of group members. However, the unwillingness to define directions for culture is still alive in the group. Arab culture from countries whose cultures traditionally had certain presence and impact in Iraq (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon) were not considered a model despite the admiration for some literary figures in those countries and for the political popularity of the Egyptian July 23, 1952 Revolution and its leaders. Although most group members were leftists - some even actively participated in leftists parties during certain periods - the dominant cultural credo of those parties, socialist realism, was considered by most KG members restrictive to creative freedom. As to western cultures and literatures, their impact was undeniably strong. These were precisely the cultures that generated heated discussions and a process of critical assimilation.

KG members were not only rebels in literature and culture, but also in their way of life. Ordered, disciplined life, attention to material aspects, family building, planning for life, all these were looked upon with suspicion and were rejected. Naturally, not all members adhered to these rebel principles in the same way, but being rebellious, bold, generous and carefree were essential for acceptance by the majority of group members.

Kindness and appreciation for one another was to come in decades ahead, but during the first period, KG members were either unconscious of their mutual bonds or rejected them as chains and limitations. They were a bunch of wild, at time arrogant people who set the highest standards for themselves and others and wouldn’t hesitate to be rough and tough with each other on issues of principle..
The great sense of humour, characteristic of Iraqis, found its optimization in the group. In peaceful and harmonious moments no contradiction or paradox would escape their attention and aesthetical appreciation. This led to humour and laughter. They laughed at anything, walked in the streets and laughed at funny faces. They would even laugh at themselves or of each other.

This capacity to laugh and their appreciation of humour, typical of most Iraqis, was a manifestation of internal tenacity and toughness, product of thousands of years of struggle against invasions, calamities and disasters, characteristic of the history of Iraq. In this sense, KG member are not much different than average Iraqis. They are above all genuine Iraqis.

Contrary to the common belief that turbulent history would produce embittered persons, KG members are tender and kind people precisely because they are the product of complex historical processes and because of their historical sophistication. In this sense, they are persons who have acute, indeed obsessive interest in literature and culture, yet the ultimate object of their glowing passion is the human being and the human condition, and, consequently, the destiny of Iraq and the world.
This spirit has given them strength, tenacity and hope in the extreme situations they have gone through. They have faced constant threat of assassination, arrests, persecution and torture. They saw their friends being assassinated, lost friends and family members in wars and in the struggle against dictatorships. They witnessed the hanging of people and they themselves faced death. Yet they never broke down. They have maintained themselves as people with an elaborated aesthetical sense for beauty, justice, peace and nonviolence; people of deep faith, great lovers of humanity, life, Iraq and Kirkuk.
In one word, they have steadily educated themselves to be people of culture.

                                *

Despite hardships, distances, Diaspora and exile, group members, particularly core members, have maintained and conserved their friendship, optimism and above all their great positive and creative sense of humor. Whenever they meet they create their typical atmosphere of optimism, humour and energy.

(..........)

Author

Anwar Al-Ghassani, PhD., Iraqi poet.
Professor of Journalism, Computer-Mediated Communication and Internet, School of Communication Sciences
Former Director of Postgraduate Program in Communication,
University of Costa Rica.

Anwar Al-Ghassani,
Apdo 823,
2050 San Pedro M.O., Costa Rica

Tel.:(506) 234-6975, (506) 283-9773, Fax:(506) 292-7136

alghassa@racsa.co.cr
http://al-ghassani.net

Appendix

The following lists are based on information currently at the disposal of the author. They have to be updated as more information becomes available. The only complete list is that of core members.

1. Members of The Kirkuk Group

Core Members

1. Jalil Khalil Al-Qaissi (playwright and novelist. Currently in Kirkuk, Iraq)
2. Jan Dammou (poet. Died May 8, 2003 in Sydney, Australia)
3. Mouayyad Shukri Ar-Rawi (poet, short story writer, painter, journalist.
Diploma in education. Currently in Berlin, Germany)
4. Fadhil Al-Azzawi (novelist, poet, journalist. Has a BA in English literature from the University of Baghdad and PhD in journalism, Universität Leipzig. Currently in Berlin, Germany)
5. Sargon Boulus (poet, short story writer. Currently in Berlin and San
Francisco)
6. Kahtan Najati Al-Hurmuzi (short story writer, poet. Teacher. Core member until his separation from the group for political reasons after the Revolution of July 14, 1958. Current residence: unknown)
7. Anwar Al-Ghassani (poet, short story writer, painter, journalist. Has a PhD in journalism, Universität Leipzig. Professor of journalism, computer-
mediated communication and Internet at the University of Costa Rica.
Currently in San José, Costa Rica)
8. Salah Faiq (poet. Currently in The Philippines)

The Outer Circle

1. Issmat Najati Al-Hurmuzi (actor. Current residence: unknown)
2. Yousuf Al-Haidari (short story writer, died 1993 in Baghdad)
3. Father Yousuf Said (writer. Currently in Sweden)
4. Hussein Ali Al-Hawramani (writer, executed 1963)
5. Abdullatif Bander Oglu (Turcoman poet. Current residence: unknown)
6. Zuhdi Ad-Dawoodi (novelist, university professor. Currently in Leipzig,
Germany)
7. Muhyaddin Zankanah (writer. Currently in Baqouba, Iraq)
8. Ali Shukr Al-Bayati (writer. Current residence: unknown)
9. Faiq Ma'ssum (writer. Current residence: unknown)
10. Ali Hussein As-Saidi (actor, director, playwright. Current residence:
unknown
11. Nurudin As-Salihi (ud player, singer, composer and music scientist.
Currently in Braunschweig, Germany)
12. Uthman Khoshnau (writer and journalist. Current residence: unknown)
13. Najib Al-Mani' (critic. Died in London 1994?)
14. Farouk Mahmoud Sami (actor. Died in Kirkuk 2002; Anwar Al-Ghassani’s brother)
15. Assyrian young man (name and whereabouts unknown. Would-be actor, member of the theater group of Faiq Ma’ssum. Arrested with Anwar Al-Ghassani and others in 1954 and accused of forming an illegal
organization.)
16. Assyrian girl (name and whereabouts unknown. Would-be actress,
member of the theater group of Faiq Ma’ssum. Arrested with Anwar Al-Ghassani and others in 1954 and accused of forming an illegal
organization.)
17. Muhammad Ahmad Rustam (short story writer, critic. Current residence: unknown, probably somewhere in the US)
18. Christo Hagobian (trumpet player. Current residence: unknown, probably: Baghdad)
19. Musa Al-Ubaidi (writer. Died: date and place unknown)

Friends of Kirkuk Group Members (A Selection)

(Friends of KG members, some had literary and artistic interests)

Asaad Al-Hashimi (IPC trainee, wrestler (feather weight). Friend of several Kirkuk Group core members. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Shakir Al-Hashimi (IPC employee, later teacher, friend of several KG core members. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Hussein Ali Al-Hawramani (writer, executed 1963. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. He helped in publishing the first short stories of Al-Ghassani in “Fatal Iraq” (Mosoul) in 1953)

Suad Al-Hurmuzi (writer, journalist and broadcaster. Relative and friend of Kahtan Najati Al-Hurmuzi. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Baqir Ali (high school friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Muhammad Ali Abdullah (from Tuz Khourmatu. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani and his brother Farouk Mahmoud Sami. In 1963, his brother, student at the University of Baghdad, was tortured at the university detention center where Al-Ghassani spent few days before his transfer to police detention and later to the military concentration camp in Kirkuk. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Muhammad Ali (political activist, friend of Mouayad Ar-Rawi. Current whereabouts: unknown )

Ihsan As-Salihi (political activist, executed 1963 in Kirkuk. Brother of Nurudin As-Salihi and friend of several KG members)

Ahmad Ghafour (teacher, political activist. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Gubran ? (teacher, friend of Kirkuk Group core members. Current whereabouts: unknown, probably in Baghdad)

Natiq Ibrahim (IPC employee and body builder. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani and several other KG Core members. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Latif Jamal (high school friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Abdusamad Khanakah (short story writer, publisher, lawyer, friend of many KG members. Died in Kirkuk, date: unknown)

Othman Khoshnau (political prisoner, later editor of Kirkuk’s Municipality newspaper. Friend of many Kirkuk Group members. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Mahdi (from Al-Mussalah, Kirkuk. Air force technician, later trainee in the Soviet Union. Friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Faiq Ma'ssum (writer. Government employee in Kirkuk and Sangau during the fifties. In 1954, he led the attempt to form the first theater group in Kirkuk. The attempt failed when he and group members were arrested by the monarchic secret police. Friend of several KG members. Current residence: unknown)

Suhail Najim (teacher. Studied English literature at the University of Baghdad. Relative and friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

Ylimaz Omar Jaweed (economist, ud player, friend of Kirkuk Group core members. Currently in Canada)

Salah Shamil (IPC employee, later employee of an insurance company in Baghdad. Relative and friend of Anwar Al-Ghassani. Current whereabouts: unknown)

2. Kirkuk Intellectuals (A Selection)

(The list includes names of Kirkuk intellectual who were contemporaries to Kirkuk Group members or form part of the cultural context within which the group emerged and evolved. Some had contacts or friendships with KG members, others were their teachers or persons who influenced their literary and artistic evolution in some way or another. The list lacks details about relations and friendships between KG members and these Kirkuk intellectuals, as well as data about the whereabouts of the persons. It is by no means complete or does justice to everyone. It needs to be updated and completed. Future versions of this list will certainly be more extensive and comprehensive.)

1. Sinan Saied (arts teacher, writer, journalist and painter, later dean of the College of Information at the University of Baghdad. Died: place and date unknown)
2. Mahmoud Al-Ubaidi (painter and sculptor, art teacher)
3. Colonel Siddiq Ahmad (painter, army colonel)
4. Abdusamad Khanakah (short story writer, publisher, lawyer)
5. Wahidudin Bahaudin (writer, journalist, high school teacher)
6. Higri Da Da (poet in Turcomenish)
7. Sheik Ridha At-Talabani (poet in Kurdish)
8. Suad Al-Hurmuzi (shorts story, journalist, radio broadcaster)
9. Abdujabar Pirozkhan (lawyer and politician)
10. Ma’rouf Al-Barzanji (lawyer and politician)
11. Shakir Al-Hurmuzi (Editor-in-Chief of Afaq newspaper)
15. Najib Al-Mani' (writer and critic)
16. Ahmad Abdullah Al-Hasso (poet, secretary to Iraqi president
Abdusalam Arif, period: ?)
17. Mohamad Abdullah Al-Hasso (Arabic teacher, Al-Gharbiya Intermediate School)
18. Shiet Saleh (educator, social science teacher at Kirkuk High School,
education inspector)
19. Ali Hussein Al-Bayati (Arabic teacher, Al-Gharbiya Intermediate School)
20. Rif’at Yolchi (English teacher, Kirkuk High School)
21. Abdulwahid Fahmi (officer of Social, Cultural and Recreation Affairs
Department, IPC, Kirkuk)
22. Karnik George (English teacher, Al-Gharbiya Intermediate School)