“This is where the sound of wolves is louder”, is the name of a book that narrates the lives of the Kurdish Kolbars and their suffering in the Horaman region in the form of a novel.

As Adel Khalefi, the author of the book, has narrated in an interview with the media, the sound of wolves is louder here. It is about the story of the lives of four friends named “Huran”, “Shawan”, “Raviyar” and “Hiwa”, three of whom decide in the fall of 2016 to buy a truck with the savings they have, so that by dividing its rotations among themselves, the difficulties of carrying goods will be easier for them. The story, which is also combined with Kurdish myths and poems, takes a special look at the personal lives of these four individuals, especially Shawan – who is the main character of the story. Shawan is a young man whose family has taken refuge in Hawraman due to the chemical bombing of Halabja. He, who is forced to work as a porter to make a living, falls in love with a girl on the other side of the borders, whose life has also

“In the beginning of this novel, we read: “Autumn of that year came later. Except for that one time when it rained in October, there was no news of rain until November. Its pure October left the city, but you could still feel the heat pyramid in the city. You could see the red, yellow, and orange leaves on the trees later than any other year. Nature had no rush to shed its leaves. It seemed as if it had fallen behind or didn’t want to reach autumn at all. When the fog settled on the mountains, autumn was also felt in the city.”

The calendar had turned and it was cold and sharp in the city in the month of Aban. The colors were changing on the leaves, the wind was blowing on the stairs, the fire was burning in the cracks of the windows, and the air was moving behind the curtains. It spread across the sky and stretched between the mountains, pressing against the city’s back. His heart felt heavy from not seeing the sun. Autumn had settled on the rooftops, on the trees, and on the delicate roads. Autumn had arrived and the roads were slippery and treacherous, and it was time to bring in the cold. Work had died down, with nothing left to take his breath away. Autumn had come heavily, and it had come to stay and merge with winter. When you opened the window, the mountain was there, covered in fog. The mountain that stretched from the end of the valley to the sky.

Mrs. Khalifi, with reference to watching a documentary about the Kolbars, has encouraged her to write about this subject. In explaining why she has decided to address topics such as Kolbari, unemployment, and honor killings in Kurdistan in the form of a novel, she refers to the importance and impact of literature and visual arts on people’s minds. She also believes that even if we consider the two chemical bombings of Halabja and Sardasht, we will realize how effective the photos and documents left from the bombing of Halabja have been; including the fact that the perpetrators and agents are being condemned. She also writes about it after about thirty years, and has a half look at it, and she writes about it. However, due to the lack of similar photos and documents regarding Sardasht, this incident has been neglected in comparison to the similar case of Halabja.

Reading this book, especially as it is the first novel published in Persian with the subject of Kurdish people, is recommended for human rights defenders and also for general readers interested in the novel genre.

Book Name: The Sound of Wolves is Louder Here

Author: Adele Khalifi

Publication date: 1396

Publisher: Backpack