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Swallows of Kabul
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| List Price: | £6.99 |
| Price: | £2.56 |
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #8645 in Books
- Published on: 2005-05-05
- Binding: Paperback
- 288 pages
Editorial Reviews
Synopsis
Moshen and his wife, Zunaira, met at the university and once looked forward to a happy and prosperous life together. But Moshem's dream of becoming a diplomat, halted by the war with Russia, dies with the ascendancy of the Taliban. Zunaira, formerly a lawyer who worked for women's rights, can no longer even appear on the streets of Kabul without a veil over her face. It is only in their own home that they can be themselves. One day, unable to resist Moshen's pleas, Zunaira dons her burqa and goes to market with him. The outing turns into a nightmare. Atiq, a veteran of the Russian war, is now a part-time jailer who watches over those condemned to death. The darkness of the prison and the wretchedness of his job have seeped into his soul. His home offers little respite from his rage and misery; his wife Musarrat, is suffering from an illness no doctor can cure and even the most furvent prayers cannot alleviate. As Atiq begins to lose all faith in his own ability to survive the arbitary demands and extreme cruelties of the Taliban, he is drawn to Zanaira, now in prison awaiting public execution.
From the Publisher
A major bestseller in the tradition of THE KITE RUNNER and THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL
About the Author
Y Khadra:
Yasmina Khadra is the nom de plume of the Algerian army officer, Mohammed Moulessehoul, who took a feminine pseudonym to avoid submitting his manuscripts for approval by the army. He is the author of two other books published in English, In the Name of God and Wolf Dreams. He lives in France.
Customer Reviews
Swallows of Kabul written by an Algerian Army officer
This Book was written by a former Algerian Army officer who served in the war against the fundamentalist GIA in his country. He wrote the book and published it using his wife's name since he thought a female Muslim name would elicit greater attention by reviewers. Later after some positive reviews the publicity seeking author declared that Yasmina had not written the work after all but that he, Yasmina's husband was the author. The author has never been to Afghanistan.
Dreadful
Following on from Khaled Husseini, I picked this up to continue in the recent Afghan seem of literature. What a disappointment.
Cliched and wooden, there are far better books on the subject and I wish I hadn't wasted my time.
A powerful novel
Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban regime, this impressive novel takes us into the lives of two couples: Mohsen Ramat, who comes from a family of wealthy shopkeepers whom the Taliban has destroyed; Zunaira, his beautiful wife, who was once a brilliant teacher and is now no longer allowed to leave her home without an escort or covering her face with a burqa. Intersecting their world is Atiq Shaukat, a prison keeper, a man who has sincerely adopted the Taliban ideology and struggles to keep his faith, and his wife, Musarrat, who once rescued Atiq and is now dying of sickness and despair.
Desperate and exhausted Mohsen wanders through Kabul when he is surrounded by a crowd about to stone an adulterous woman. Numbed by the hysterical atmosphere of the crowd and drawn into their rage, he too throws stones at the face of the condemned woman buried up to her waist. With this gesture the lives of all four characters move toward their destinies.
The novel shows in a realistic way how women survive in a world where they can be beaten up for laughing with their husband. It shows a country where people have been deprived of almost everything. Where the Taliban rule, love between a man and a woman, joy, music, freedom have been banned, replaced by violence and hatred, all in the name of God. A stunning read of high literary quality.
