Jad Turjman (born September 5, 1989 in Damascus; † July 29 or July 30, 2022 at Hohen Göll) was a Syrian-Austrian writer and comedian.

Life
Jad Turjman studied English and worked in the city administration of Damascus. In 2014 he was drafted into the Syrian army, which was in the middle of a civil war, and decided to flee. He wanted to go to Sweden via Lebanon and Turkey, but was stopped by officials in Salzburg on the way.From 2015 he lived in Salzburg, until 2018 he worked as an asylum counselor for the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund and from 2018 to 2021 he worked for the Heroes project in the care of young people.

In 2019 he published the story of his escape with When Jasmin Emigrates with Residenz Verlag. In 2021 the novel The Smell of the Soul: A Love Story in Times of War and Revolution was published. In September 2022 his third book When Jasmin Takes Root was published posthumously.

In 2021 he received Austrian citizenship.Turjman lived in Mattsee in Flachgau and also performed as a stand-up comedian and with the solo program The Refugee of Your Trust. At the end of July 2022, he had a fatal accident while descending from the Hoher Göll in the Berchtesgaden Alps in Bavaria.  

Publications (selection)
Wenn der Jasmin auswandert: die Geschichte meiner Flucht, with a foreword by Karim El-Gawhary, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-7017-3480-1.
The Smell of the Soul: A Love Story in Times of War and Revolution, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 2021, ISBN 978-3-7017-4666-8.
When the jasmine takes root: Wie ich gelernt habe, die Heimat in mir zu finden, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 2022 ISBN 978-3-7017-3561-7.
When the jasmine emigrates / When the jasmine takes root. Two books in one volume, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 2023 ISBN 978-3-7017-3595-2.

suedwind-magazin reported

When he received a call-up order from the Syrian army in 2014, he decided to flee. A year later, he crossed the Balkans from Syria to Austria and stayed in Salzburg. Within a very short time, he learned German and wrote down his escape story - in German. His first book “Wenn der Jasmin auswandert” was published by Residenz Verlag in 2019. Two more followed. He appeared on stage from 2020 with the comedy solo program “Der Flüchtling Ihres Vertrauens”. In addition to his psychotherapy studies at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, he was involved in the “Heroes” project and held workshops for young people against female oppression and violence in the family. “Before I am a refugee, comedian and author, I am a human being. A person who wants to build bridges over the many walls,” says Turjman. He died at the end of July at the age of 32 in a mountain accident in Bavaria.                                                                                                    By Christine Tragler

Source: de.wikipedia.de