Rights & Translation
Children of the Zagros is available for translation and publication in all languages and territories. The author holds all rights directly — there is no agent or publisher to clear, and enquiries are answered personally.
The book
| Title | Children of the Zagros |
|---|---|
| Author | Shad Raouf Qazaz |
| Genre | Literary magical realism · mythic fiction · Kurdish epic |
| Comparable titles | The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) · One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel García Márquez) |
| Existing editions | English, Kurdish (Sorani), Dutch |
| Length | Available on request |
| Sales | 1,000+ copies across multiple countries |
| First published | Dutch, then translated into Kurdish by Drs. Azad Qazaz |
Rights available
The book is independently published and the author is the sole rights holder. Publishing, translation and subsidiary rights are all unencumbered and available worldwide. No agency currently represents the title.
- KurmanjiPriority
- TurkishPriority
- PersianPriority
- ArabicPriority
These are the markets closest to the book's subject matter, but enquiries for any language are welcome.
Recognition
“A mythic dress woven from Kurdish cultural memory, inherited trauma, spiritual journeying, and the oral storytelling tradition.” The Amargi
“Honors of the Capital City of Culture” — awarded by the City of Sulaymaniyah for the Kurdish translation, presented by Dr. Muhsin Adib, General Director of Culture and Arts. The book has also been honoured by the Kurdistan Regional Government for representing Kurdistan at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, and featured in Kurdistan Chronicle. The author has been interviewed about the novel on Rûdaw and KurdSat News.
Synopsis
Children of the Zagros is an epic work of literary magical realism set in a mythic past inspired by the Kurdish Zagros Mountains. It reimagines legendary traditions from Kurds, Iranians and Zoroastrians and transforms them into an allegory of freedom, trauma and renewal.
When a young princess, Runak, defies her father's rule, she is thrust into a journey that will determine the fate of her people. Along the way she encounters ancient beings: Shahmaran, the serpent queen of wisdom, and Simurgh, the immortal bird of light, who challenge her understanding of destiny, tradition, trauma and the interplay of light and dark.
Through war against the tyrant Zahhak, Runak learns that the darkness haunting her people is not only mythic but inherited — a cycle passed from generation to generation. In the end she must face the truth: liberation is not the conquest of others, but the reconciliation of one's own divided self.
A passage
A shadow, larger than the trees, fell over the area. Above them they heard the loud flapping of wings. They looked up and saw the contours of a gigantic bird, whose open wings reached even further than the ends of the widespread branches of the tree. The creature had wings like a peacock, of copper and green. It held on tightly to the tree, with powerful claws buried in the bark. Piercing eyes, bigger than a human head, watching them closely.
Neither of the two humans dared to move, their senses overladen with incomprehensible impressions.
Eventually the creature spoke with a female voice that seemed to echo in their thoughts. “Worthy warrior. You have saved my young from this treacherous snake. What is it that I — Simurgh — responsible for cleansing of the land and the water, mediator between heaven and earth — can bestow upon you as a reward for this heroic feat?”
Rights enquiries
Full synopsis, author biography and sample chapters available on request.
Email Shad Raouf