Hertfordshire Press, the UK’s leading publisher dedicated to translated literature from the post-Soviet space, announces the release of Imprisoned Souls: Poems of Uyghur Prisoners in China, a powerful new anthology translated and compiled by acclaimed Uyghur poet, scholar, and human rights advocate Aziz Isa Elkun.
At a moment when Uyghur cultural expression faces systematic erasure, this collection brings together the voices of 25 poets who were detained, sentenced, or forcibly disappeared in China. Their works – ranging from lyrical meditations on nature to poignant reflections on identity, longing, and injustice – survive as rare testimonies of courage, humanity, and resistance.
The book release was marked with an event held on 16 December at Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London. The evening brought together friends, readers, writers, and members of the cultural community for an intimate gathering in which the author introduced the book, reflected on its making, and spoke to the urgency of preserving Uyghur poetic voices under persecution.
About the book
For Elkun, Imprisoned Souls is the culmination of over five years of emotionally demanding research and translation, a project driven by urgency, responsibility, and profound personal loss. Cut off from his family since 2017 and a witness to the disappearances of numerous colleagues and friends, he has worked tirelessly to gather these poems from published sources and digital archives, overcoming the information blackout imposed on Uyghur cultural life.
In a deeply moving reflection accompanying the collection, Elkun describes the psychological burden of exile, the grief of severed family ties, and his moral obligation to amplify the voices of detained poets:
“The simple act of writing poems led to their persecution. Their precious works must not be lost to silence… I had to act, to bring these voices into the light.”
The anthology captures “the soul of the Uyghur people,” their sorrow and resilience, their love and longing, and their unbroken hope for dignity, peace, and freedom.
About the author
Aziz Isa Elkun is a London-based Uyghur poet, writer, translator, researcher, and prominent cultural advocate. Born in Shayar County in Uyghuristan/East Turkistan, he graduated from Xinjiang University before relocating to the UK in 2001. His work spans poetry, fiction, documentary filmmaking, and academic research, including contributions to major projects at SOAS, University of London.
Elkun is the author of numerous publications in Uyghur and English, including the landmark Uyghur Poems anthology published by Everyman’s Library (Penguin Random House, 2023). Since April 2025, he has served as President of the Uyghur PEN Centre.
More about his work: www.azizisa.org/en
About Hertfordshire Press
Hertfordshire Press (SRM Group) is the only British publishing house dedicated to translated literature from the post-Soviet region, with a strong focus on Central Asia. Since 2002, the Press has introduced readers on four continents to more than 250 works from 15 countries. With over one million books in circulation and publications in 12 languages, Hertfordshire Press is committed not only to publishing but to actively promoting its authors through international festivals, global forums, and cultural partnerships. Hertfordshire Press offers authors international distribution across the UK, Europe, and the USA, professional Kindle formatting, and placement in the Amazon store—the world’s largest digital library.
Publishers Email: publisher@hertfordshirepress.com
Website: www.hertfordshirepress.com
