Botan Times EnglishQuickfire Dialogue with Bahoz Baran

If you write a letter to God, what would you say?

I wouldn’t write even if there is a chance like this. I guess certainly that my question would be about the secret of existence and universe. The story of humanity is very tragic, besides its tragedy it is also full of mystery, it is a story that is difficult to understand. I don’t want to learn the secret of this tragic story. I would prefer that there are some questions and we are always looking for these questions, we don’t need perfect answers to these questions. These questions should be like eternity, they shouldn’t get anywhere and blunt our hopes. In my opinion, the mind itself is a divine element, a creative dialogue with mind is better. It is possible even without a letter. Therefore I would not write a letter to God.

Who is the person that you love most?

Ehmedê Xanî among the Kurds and, besides him, I love Nietzsche.

What would you not want to happen if you built a world for yourself?

I wouldn’t allow racism with violence and poison. Of course, this kind of racism leads to the selfishness, jealousy and greed of people and nations. And the most important thing is that there wouldn’t be shamelessness and mercilessness in it. I wouldn’t allow the mind to be more active than the heart. The mind without heart and apathetic is the tease of people.

What is your favourite book?

There are books I liked, but The Little Prince is still my favourite. I read it certainly once a year (I bought it so many times, but as if it had legs and then left from my house).

When you are dead, who would you most like to visit your grave? (It does not matter if s/he is dead or alive)

I want a diligent reader to come. Because I always want to see a new face and hear new words.

What worries you the most?

Assimilation and ignorance (rudeness) of people.

If you scratch one name to Diyarbakir’s walls, whose name would it be?

Let’s not scratch a name on walls, pity the walls. We can call Celadet Alî Bedirxan’s name on walls.

Which period do you want to live in?

I am content with the period I lived in now. But I want to live a little in the middle of the 19th century, not a lot.

If you were born one more time, what would you do again?

I would write in my mother tongue again, of course. I can’t imagine and live in a world without writing.

What would you most like to do before you die?

I would write stories in my mind and heart and complete my story collection. I would read the books on my reading list.