My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women

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The fact that the book has now been published is the result of a team effort that “relied on everybody trusting each other”, says Hannah. My Pillow's Journey of Eleven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy Six Kilometres" by Farangis Elyassi which used a simple item to show how displaced she felt. There are visceral scenes and descriptions that are rich in the sights, sounds and smells of the country… the clay walls that emanate a specific feel, and the rich fragrances of cooking and herbs waft off the page. Women once again have been forced to remain absent from mainstream life, stripped of their hard won rights, which is such a depressingly regressive step for so many. Eighteen Afghan women living in, speaking about, and writing from the country itself tell stories that are powerful and illuminating, unique and universal – stories of family, work, childhood, friendship, war, gender identity, and cultural traditions.

This collection is essential, it is the coldest, hardest truth, and yet it rings with such hope and perseverance.

Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy of this powerful and thought-provoking collection of stories. Hachette Book Group is a leading book publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest publisher in the world.

Not that it matters much on the macro level, but I prefer understanding the editorial choices in an anthology.This is an incredibly compelling set of vignettes of life in Afghanistan, written by 18 Afghan women in Dari and Pashto before the 2021 Taliban takeover of Kabul and translated into English. They've been translated to English by local Afghan translators, and hence have a touch of simplicity as well as authenticity to their tone. It is accepted by you that Daunt Books has no control over additional charges in relation to customs clearance. Afghan woman, particularly post-August 2021, are afforded few opportunities for their inner worlds to become externally realized. Strongly recommended to anyone looking for a powerful OwnVoices work, giving voice to women who are rarely given a voice.

The sacrifices people make for one another and the unbreakable attachment people have to home, no matter what hell that home may host, are repeated notes that echo in the heart. Lyse spent fifteen years as a BBC foreign correspondent with postings in the Middle East, West Asia and West Africa.

Skaitydama tuos trumpučius, gal ir ne super literatūrinius "/, bet tikrai širdį draskančius apsakymus vis pagalvojau - damn, aš visiškai nebeseku žinių apie tai kas dabar dedasi Afganistane. Skausmingos, tragiškos, kai kurios viltingos istorijos apie kasdienį, pagrinde moterų, (ne)(iš)gyvenimą. The authors are Maryam Mahjoba, Freshta Ghani, Masouma Kawsari, Fatema Haidari, Sharifa Pasun, Elahe Hosseini, Batool Haidari, Atifa Mozaffari, Anahita Gharib Nawaz, Parand, Marie Bamyani, Maliha Naji, Fatima Saadat, Farangis Elyassi, Fatema Khavari, Naeema Ghani, Zainab Aklhaqi, and Rana Zurmaty. It is impossible to read this book and not be affected by it – I was in turn saddened, enraged and incredibly moved by these stories and needed to take breaks in between.