The Afghans

Asne Seierstad

£12.99

In ‘The Bookseller of Kabul’, Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with ‘The Afghans’, a book to help us understand Afghanistan’s past, present and future, told through the lives of three unforgettable people: – Jamila, Bashir and Ariana – as well their families, friends, foes and co-fighters. Jamila is a women’s rights activist; Bashir is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power. The stories of these three Afghans encompass love, loss, revolt and war as well as the everyday rhythms of family life. Through them, we experience and come to understand the lead-up to the Taliban retaking power in 2021, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 07/08/2025
ISBN: 9781408717950 Category: Tag:

Description

‘As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating’ Daily Telegraph

‘Åsne Seierstad is one of the greatest, most courageous journalists of our time. . . This is an important, heartbreaking book’ Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

‘An astonishing feat of writing and reporting . . . one of the finest books written on Afghanistan in a generation’ Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Amity and Prosperity

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bookseller of Kabul, this is an unforgettable portrait of three people living under the Taliban today.

There is Jamila, a women’s rights activist who got an education when few women could; Bashir, a Taliban commander who grew up eager to avenge a father killed by security forces; and Ariana, a law student who is now barred from her university and facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a man she does not love. Through the stories of these three Afghans, we experience what it is to live under the Taliban now, and think about where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow.

‘Harrowing, uplifting, fascinating, challenging and profound, no other recent book on the subject comes close’ CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan: A History of Herat

‘Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation’ Luke Harding

Additional information

Weight 360 g
Dimensions 196 × 126 × 30 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

448

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

958.1047 (edition:23)

Readership

College – higher education / Code: F