The Frenzy of Geese

Description

In an attempt to break the traditional novelistic mold—employing a distinctive style and veiled irony—Salim Barakat addresses an age-old yet contemporary issue in *The Frenzy of Geese*: the question of belonging to a homeland for members of ethnic groups living in Europe. He focuses specifically on Kurds living in Sweden. Through the characters, events, and experiences of the protagonist, Tasso—who lives with her son, Rand, and a circle of divorced female friends who have despaired of finding new meaning in their lives abroad—Barakat explores their recollections of their native Qamishli (Syria) and the internal conflict arising from their dual cultural identities. He thereby reveals the reality of Kurdish communities in Europe and the hardships associated with the refugee experience. Tasso, the protagonist, declares: “One day I will change my name; I will change my religion… but first, I will change the name of this street—Katarina Parken. I will name it Mullah Ali Khabout.” She traces, in the air, the fragmented letters of a lost anthem. Through his characters, the author also examines Turkey’s attempt—amidst a complex array of challenges—to enter the European arena. He portrays its effort to craft a cultural approach that leverages its imperial history and geopolitical position as positive assets in reshaping its relationship with Europe. Tasso remarks, “The Turks haven’t become Europeans yet.” Darkho replies, “What is Europe?” Tasso wondered dismissively, opening her left palm as if to catch a continent torn from the abyss of the watery heights: “By God, Europe needs another thousand years to figure out what Europe actually is. Israel has become European in the Song Contest. The Kingdom of Morocco is demanding European citizenship. Turkey has a foot caught in the doorway of Europe. My children are Europeans now.” *The Frenzy of Geese* stands as a testament to the dedication of a novelist who writes with honesty and a radically critical sense of reality, raising a crucial question: the identity of these people, their right to belong to a homeland and have their rights upheld, and the cultures to which they truly belong. “The Kurds—what of the Kurds?” Zuleikha asked. “The Mitanni Kurds created Europe; they gave Europe its name back when the Greeks themselves didn’t know exactly where their land lay. The Kurds latched onto the Greek land—which was floating in mid-air—and brought it down to rest upon the waters of the Mediterranean. The Kurds are the forefathers of Athens.” Ultimately, the reader realizes that the modern world operates at two vastly different speeds of knowledge—confronting us with two conflicting existential dilemmas rooted in opposing theories regarding human affairs and religion. On one hand, we face a highly volatile socio-political dynamic; on the other, a socio-political dynamic of profound stasis. This novel presents a spectacle—a scenario—offering a glimpse into which lineage will prevail in the “new society” formed within an empire of mutual concessions.