The Potato Eaters: Stories

by Farhad Pirbal, Alana Marie Levinson-Labrosse (Translator), Jiyar Homer (Translator)

From Kurdish poet and writer Farhad Pirbal, a heartbreaking collection of short stories. 

Each tale in The Potato Eaters underlines “otherness”, or isolation and displacement in contemporary society. His characters are at once resonant and shocking, his ability to decry trauma reminiscent of American greats like Morrison and Hurston. The title story from this collection is one of the most acclaimed Kurdish short stories; it features a town that, due to famine, only survives on potatoes. The community comes to appreciate the base cuisine and abandon currency for their coveted starch. When the story’s protagonist returns from his travels, he brings gold home and he is met with utter apathy; he is a stranger in his own country.   

“Lamartine” tells the story of a struggling poetry expert with a PhD on Lamartine’s lines in search of a lucrative career. He has trouble finding the right words to get a job. He visits a local career agency and in plain verse, asks for a career; he and the agent imagine a world wherein poets are paid by the line instead of the hour, a world in which artists always have a steady income. After the encounter, he says to a statue of his hero, “we really do live pitifully, us all like us, artists and poets. Often I have thought that a demon, at the beginning of time, must have nursed misfortune our first milk.”   

“The Deserter” spotlights a forgetful soldier struggling to find his lost leg in 1989. He hobbles for nearly ten days until his Corporal informs him to prepare for war. “How?”, he wonders. The two go in search for a new leg, scavenging through piles of human body parts. In war, all warriors lose pieces of legs, arms, minds, hearts and souls. He reflects on his “My generation and I…are the we are the sacrifice of our era; the sacrifice to war and the dirty battles of those fools and frauds we call today’s leaders.” The story ends there—without resolution. This finality parallels the ramifications of stories and lives cut short, questions left unanswered.

Genres: Short Stories

200 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Farhad Pirbal (Sorani Kurdish: فەرھاد پیرباڵ‎; born 1961)[2] is a Kurdish writer, philosopher, singer, poet, painter and critic. He was born in the city of Erbil (Hawler) in Southern Kurdistan. He studied Kurdish language and literature in the University of Salahadin in Hewlêr. In 1986, he left Kurdistan to France.[3] He continued his studies in University of Sorbonne in the field of Kurdish literature. After going back to Southern Kurdistan, in 1994, he established the Sharafkhan Badlisi cultural center.

Reviews

[Diyya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pirbal is the epitome of the Kurdish identity, an absurd, nonsensical existence that does not conform to its surroundings' expectations of it. You deny the Kurds their own box, soon enough they start condemning boxes all together—Pirbal goes as far as to leave the plane of geometry entirely... There's no way to describe the man coherently, he is incoherence embodied. If He Must Be Described: Public presentation wise he’s a Zižek, except he doesn’t have Tourette’s and is most certainly on drugs. Work wise there’s a strong Dadaist edge to his work but that, again, does not sum his style up with justice. Pirbal came back from Sorbonne with years devoted to the arts, years working through the greatest Kurdish poets as well as those of the West, all to be called a lunatic, imprisoned, committed to a psych ward, imprisoned again for arson, published just under a hundred pieces, impri—he’s really the full package.

For as much as Pirbal seems to struggle with the world he's in, I can't help but feel it's the world that's somehow fallen short of him.


Back to Actual Thoughts that (should) comprise a review:

I was initially quite hesitant about how this translation would turn out but I think (for the most part) it captures Pirbal's intent—it is far less literal than I expected, thankfully. That said, I was still compelled to grieve once reading Hajj Qadri Koye’s poem in English—which is devoid of almost all meaning. I wonder how much else l've lost in translation (cont. will Duolingo Russian ever be enough?)

The butchered poem:
If you leave, every return is as if
You’ve left home to arrive in Jabulqa*

Read this if you can. Learn the language if you can. Read the original if you can. (Purchase hashish and recite Lamaratine until he is conjured at the foot of your bed if you can, or don’t).

All fun and playful absurdities aside, reading Pirbal, knowing Pirbal, and witnessing Pirbal’s public persona are such extremely different experiences you get whiplash just trying to switch from thinking about one to the other. He has lost all will to convince the minority that speak his language and share his history that his work is of importance and that he is sane—it is almost admirable the bit he has committed to. He is still a prolific writer and the quality of his last pieces of work have only gotten better despite his theatric, batshit public persona having only gotten worse. 5/5

[Monica Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ✨’s

enjoyed the beginning stories more than the ones that came at the end but overall really liked it

there’s a lot of dark humor here but if that’s your thing check it out

[T'Jae Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars! [book club pick]

What a harrowing, but beautifully intimate collection of short stories. I think these collections of short stories paired so nicely together with other stories being rather human and others feeling a bit unconventional (in a good way!). I think Pirbal paints outside of the lines in this collection of short stories very well depicting the many ways in which people process loneliness, otherness, grief/loss, shame, etc.

[Bella Azam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farhad Pirbal weaves his stories with immaculate precision of unconventional narrative, beyond comprehension & expectations. His stories are dark, absurd, ridiculously clever with playful writing that elevates the reading experience to the next level. I was immersed by how fluid & engaging his stories were, with earlier stories are in the dark comedy realm with absurdism, interesting repetitive words scattered in some of the stories, the clever footnote in one, the interactive stories for you to read and make up your own completed story to the heartwrenching and emotional stories in the second half.

His themes revolved a lot on the isolation, solitude, loneliness and the immigrant's troublesome path in connecting with their new place while missing their home country. There were some very dark matter on abuse and violence but tangled up with a sprinkle of humor to lighten up. What a ride!

This is my first Kurdish literature and I was fascinated by this collection. I wished I can read in its original language to better appreciate the beauty of these proses. These were incredible translations in my humble opinion from a point of view of someone who just knew about Farhad Pirbal bcus now Im in dire need of more of his works to get translation.

Thank you to Edelweiss book and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

a collection of stories of displacement and loneliness. probably the defining point of this collection, besides the Kurdish identity, is playing with structure. take the very first story, the margins of Europe, where footnotes are used as asides from the story, taking you one step out from the interaction before coming back in close. or perhaps A Refugee, where the same long, repetitive, copy-and-pasted actions draw out a simple scene, adding humor at first, perhaps, but also ratcheting up the absurdity and frustration of the event. there is a very brief almost-haiku, a choose your own adventure in Miniature, a courtroom report. but the stories that shine most (notwithstanding that introductory one) tend to be more human. the anxiety and paranoia of a man returning to see a lover after a long absence, the freedom of escaping to a place of your own, the lengths we will go to do what we feel will help our families. and of course the parable of the titular story. there's a lot of heart in here. I'd probably lean this toward a 3.5, but that's more a matter of my own connection than a commentary on quality

[Annie Tate Cockrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really incredible collection of stories - I loved every single one! Farhad Pirbal plays with form quite a lot - one story uses footnotes in an incredible and playful way, one story is a chose your own adventure, one story uses repetition in a very funny way. A lot of the stories are funny (albeit dark) and then the stories in the second half of the book are absolutely heart wrenching - like rip your heart out vibes. I feel so lucky that this book was translated! This is the first work from Pirbal to be translated into English. The translators note at the end about translation in general but specifically co-translation was really illuminating. Definitely recommend picking up a copy of The Potato Eaters.

[Koli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant novel that delves into the struggles of a Kurdish family grappling with poverty and societal challenges. Pirbal's storytelling is both raw and evocative, capturing the harsh realities of life while infusing it with moments of resilience and hope. The characters are richly and beautifully developed, making their struggles almost relatable, and moving. Loved this so much

[Darcy Gallego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and thought provoking stories. Left me thinking about the characters. Overall grateful to have been able to read this author’s work.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story collection from Kurdish writer and poet Pirbal is a phenomenal mix of dark themes of exile and dislocation rendered in playful and innovative formats and styles. Loved every bit of this, and I am grateful to translators Jiyar Homer and Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse and publisher Deep Vellum for bringing it to English language readers.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting book! Pirbal is a Kurdish writer, painter, poet, and philosopher. He has quite a fan base in Kurdistan, and I can see why after reading this book of short stories. Kurdistan is a geocultural region that is spread over multiple countries (Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Iraq, and Iran). Being a minority population in so many countries has inevitably left scars. This is reflected in these stories, which are dark albeit humorous and playful at times.

As might be expected from an artist who thinks outside the box, he crafted these stories in imaginative ways. There’s a story with footnotes that lead you on a second stream of thought. There’s another one (Schizophrenia) that is a make-it-your-own, where you decide what you want to read next. Then there’s the soldier who lost his leg … literally, and upon being told to report back to the Front, had to settle for someone else’s leg; the ending of this tale is wacky but also poignant. There are stories to break your heart, of course. Stories of despair and loneliness. Interestingly, he sometimes interchanges first and second person singular in the same paragraph, and the story suddenly feels autobiographical.

These stories have no resolutions, they’re essentially snapshots of life as immigrants and displaced people barely getting by. The title story is a case in point: A son returns home bearing gold after being away for years. During his absence, famine struck and now everyone is obsessed with potatoes. The gift of gold is incomprehensible to his family and community, and they are angry with him for not bringing back potatoes. Not fitting in, not belonging - this theme pops up over and over. And in the case of the gold-bearing son, even returning home proves to be a case of not fitting in anymore.

This book was translated from Kurdish to English. The two co-translators wrote a brief afterword describing their collaboration. There’s also an interesting foreword from a writer whose first memories were of the Iraq-Iran conflict. I will be rereading this book; the images and impressions were vivid and deserve revisiting.

[Lene Kretschz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5ish.

While any opportunity to read Kurdish literature is welcome, this collection is very limited in range and repetitive in theme, something the occasional playful jaunts into absurdism can't really hide. Interesting but not essential. It would be nice to read some Kurdish literature from non-celebrity writers (particularly women authors, as women get such short shrift in this particular book), but I'm not holding my breath.

[Seashelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very very good collection! The pain of immigration is uniquely felt for an ethnic group that is already getting displaced. Imaginative, fun, experimental short stories where form truly informs the content. 4 stars instead of 5 for the undertones of misogyny.

[Emily Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book. I chuckled, I cried, I thought a lot. Pirbal's way of writing is so poignant but could be so annoying at times that it really keeps you on your toes. Could and probably will re-read.

[Louise Ní Chuilinn]

Really enjoy some of these, especially the more surreal or formally experimental ones.
Women have a very limited role in the universe of these stories which is annoying.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ … how can you write something like that and settle your unsettled heart?”


very very good collection of short stories here, truly something special

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️