Overview
This phenomenal international bestseller is "an admirable, revealing portrait of daily life in a country that Washington claims to have liberated but does not begin to understand" (Washington Post). This mesmerizing portrait of a proud man who, through three decades and successive repressive regimes, heroically braved persecution to bring books to the people of Kabul has elicited extraordinary praise throughout the world and become a phenomenal international bestseller. The Bookseller of Kabul is startling in its intimacy and its details -- a revelation of the plight of Afghan women and a window into the surprising realities of daily life in Afghanistan. "The most intimate description of an Afghan household ever produced by a Western journalist...Seierstad is a sharp and often lyrical observer." --New York Times Book Review
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780316159418
- ISBN-10: 0316159417
- Publisher: Back Bay Books
- Publish Date: October 2004
- Dimensions: 8.22 x 5.52 x 0.85 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.64 pounds
- Page Count: 320
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The Bookseller of Kabul
Seierstad, a 31-year-old Norwegian journalist, offers a one-of-a-kind look at Afghani culture in this compelling account of the three months she spent with a Kabul bookseller named Sultan Khan. Seierstad lived with Khan and his large family—two wives, various children, his mother, brothers and sisters—in the spring of 2002, just as the Taliban was being ousted from power. Donning a burqa and becoming acquainted with the family's Islamic lifestyle, Seierstad gives readers an inside view of the country—the soul-crushing tyranny of a government that forces Khan to hoard and hide books; the dismal economy and 12-hour work days; the arranged marriages that are a cultural mainstay, regardless of regime. Seierstad's narrative is a courageous report of her time in Afghanistan at a critical moment in history, a book that skillfully reflects the difficulties and dangers of being a Westerner and a woman in a country that devalues both. A reading group guide is included in the book.
The Bookseller of Kabul
Seierstad, a 31-year-old Norwegian journalist, offers a one-of-a-kind look at Afghani culture in this compelling account of the three months she spent with a Kabul bookseller named Sultan Khan. Seierstad lived with Khan and his large family—two wives, various children, his mother, brothers and sisters—in the spring of 2002, just as the Taliban was being ousted from power. Donning a burqa and becoming acquainted with the family's Islamic lifestyle, Seierstad gives readers an inside view of the country—the soul-crushing tyranny of a government that forces Khan to hoard and hide books; the dismal economy and 12-hour work days; the arranged marriages that are a cultural mainstay, regardless of regime. Seierstad's narrative is a courageous report of her time in Afghanistan at a critical moment in history, a book that skillfully reflects the difficulties and dangers of being a Westerner and a woman in a country that devalues both. A reading group guide is included in the book.