Huda Kathem is eagerly awaiting reviews on her first novel, which is being evaluated by a book club in Arbil, Iraq, where young writers are reviving a centuries-old oral tradition. "This is the first time my book has been criticized," said the 17-year-old first-year medical student.

"I learned a lot about how to enhance my writing and storytelling," she said, adding that feedback from other authors, readers, and teachers gave her "enormous inspiration" to keep going.

With a released children's book under her belt, the young author's debut novel, "Barani Marg" (Death Rain), tells a story of a Kurdish boy who, at the age of 15, runs away from a broken family and a broken heart to join the army.

It's a common tale for many citizens of Iraq's autonomous northern territory, a nation battered by decades of war. In recent times, the eight book clubs that have sprouted up in Kurdistan have made a point of giving indigenous writers a voice and frequently discussing narratives tackling social problems. Goran Sabah, a novelist, pioneered the book club movement by opening it in a cafe in Arbil in January.

Book clubs, according to Sabah, who has a Ph.D. in journalism from Kansas University, are "the perfect way to communicate ideas and develop a sense of belonging among young people" in the Kurdistan region. "Each one of these book clubs is an enlightenment academy, creating generations who develop hope in transforming society from the bottom up," he said, referring to youth insecurity, rising unemployment, and entrenched conservatism.

"Some young people watch football to avoid life, while others read and write fiction and books," Sabah continued.

"Kurdish youngsters are writing to vent their frustration and the pain they are experiencing, and to temporarily forget their harsh life." Since an Iraqi passport does not open many channels, Faruq believes that many Iraqis "read books to travel." "We will go to Paris in our thoughts."

Kurdish literature, which is still mainly written in Iraq's two major dialects, Sorani and Kurmanji, is barely interpreted. Occasional books in Arabic, Farsi, or Turkish are circulated, mainly to Kurdish readers in neighboring countries who speak a different language.

Sabah attributed the lack of translation and development of Kurdish literature to an absence of a democratic will. “Most countries devote a fund to promote their literature to the external world," he said.

Nusyar, a small publishing house established two years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark, is attempting to fill this void. It gives three awards to young Kurdish writers each year, and it is translating a book of contemporary Kurdish poetry into Danish, as well as two novels into Danish, English, and Farsi.

"It is exceedingly difficult and expensive to interpret and bring Kurdish literature to the rest of the world," Nusyar founder Alan Pary, himself a poet and translator, said.

One of the two novels Nusyar is endorsing is a science fiction novel written by Sabah, who claims it is the first novel of its kind written in Kurdish.

"Life Enders" deals with suicide, a taboo but relatively prevalent topic in Iraq. It is set in the year 2100 and tells the tale of a young Kurdish woman from Arbil who puts an end to a suicide spree. The book has become a success with young Kurds, and it is being reprinted after the first 500 copies, which were released at the end of February, soared off the shelf.