Faraj Bayrakdar
/Sweden, 1951
Faraj Bayrakdar (1951, Syria/Sweden) acquired a bachelor's degree in Arabic language and literature from the University of Damascus in 1979. In 1977 he published together with some young writers in the university a secret literary magazine, but in 1978 the authorities arrested Bayrakdar, and the magazine was abolished after nine numbers. He was put again under arrest in early 1987 accused of being a member of a leftist opposition party, and set free 14 years later, as a result of an international campaign that involved several human rights and free speech organizations as well as many writers and artists from all over the world. In 1998 he won the Hellman-Hammet grant, in 1999 the International PEN Award-American center West, in 2004 the Free word Award from NOVIB – Netherlands, in 2006 the Oxfam Novib / PEN Freedom of Expression Award – Netherlands, in 2007 the Tucholsky Prize – Sweden and in 2012 the Ibn Batuta prize. He resides in Sweden since 27 October 2005. Alltogether he published eight collections of poetry and two books, one about his trial inside the Syrian prisons: The treasons of the language and the silence (Beirut 2006) and one about his journey to Netherlands: Out of the cave (United Arab Emirates 2013).