AZIZ ISA ELKUN
President of Uyghur PEN Centre
Email: aziz.isaa@gmail.com
Aziz Isa Elkun, a London-based Uyghur poet, writer, and academic, currently serves as President of the Uyghur PEN Centre.
On April 16, 2025, the Centre held its general election at the Mir Publishing House in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with 24 members in attendance. During the election, Aziz Isa Elkun was unanimously elected as President, reflecting strong support for his leadership and his ongoing efforts to promote Uyghur literature, language, and freedom of expression.
Aziz Isa Elkun was born in Uyghuristan (also known as East Turkistan). He grew up in Shahyar County, near the Tarim River on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, where he completed his primary and secondary education. From 1988 to 1991, he studied Russian and Chinese at Xinjiang University in Urumqi. Shortly after graduating, he faced persecution by Chinese authorities due to his political activities during his high school and university years. In 1999, he fled East Turkistan and, in August 2001, resettled in the United Kingdom. Since then, he has pursued further studies and continues to live in the UK with his family. In 2009, he graduated from Birkbeck, University of London, with a degree in Web Development and Multimedia.
Elkun currently works as a researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He has authored three books, numerous poems, essays, and research articles in both Uyghur and English. He has served as the secretary of the PEN International Uyghur Centre. Since 2014, he has been involved in various research projects on Uyghur culture at SOAS. He is also a member of English PEN.
Published books:
“Uyghur Poems” Anthology
Edited and translated by Aziz Isa Elkun (with some contributions from other translators), this anthology was published by Everyman’s Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in November 2023. It introduces English-speaking audiences to the rich literary heritage of the Uyghurs, spanning 2,000 years of oral and written traditions. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457502/uyghur-poems-by-authors-various/9781841598307
“Uyghur Poems” Anthology
Edited and translated by Aziz Isa Elkun (with some contributions from other translators), this anthology was published by Everyman’s Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in November 2023. It introduces English-speaking audiences to the rich literary heritage of the Uyghurs, spanning 2,000 years of oral and written traditions. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/457502/uyghur-poems-by-authors-various/9781841598307
“Çimenkuş” (A Flower Bird) Elkun’s debut poetry collection, Çımenkuş, translated from Uyghur to Turkish by Amina Wayit Sedef, was published by Önce Kitap Publishers in Türkiye in September 2024. https://www.astanayayinlari.com/cimenkus-aziz-isa-elkun-siir-kitabi-2024
“Donay Deryasidin Orxun Boylirighiche” (The Journey From Danube River to the Orkhun Valley) in the Uyghur language. Published in 2012 in Türkiye, this book explores the promotion of democracy and freedom of expression among Uyghurs in Uyghuristan and in exile. https://elkitab.org/donay_deryasidin_orxun_boylirighiche
Selected Articles and Contributions:
– Contributed a chapter on “Music, Terror, and Civilizing Projects in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region” to The Routledge Companion to Music and Human Rights.
– Co-authored a report titled “The Complicity of Heritage: Cultural Heritage and Genocide in the Uyghur Region” published by the Uyghur Human Rights Project in February 2023.
In 2019, Elkun produced a short documentary film, “An Unanswered Telephone Call,” depicting the ongoing sufferings of his family in China.
Aziz Isa Elkun continues to be a vital voice for the Uyghur community, using his literary and academic work to promote awareness of Uyghur culture, history, and the ongoing human rights struggles faced by his people. You can read poetry, academic and other literary works from his personal blog: www.azizisa.org/en