Bibliofemme Reviews
|
  |
The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad 
(Published by Virago Press)
Åsne Seierstad is a journalist. Based in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, she met a bookseller called Sultan Kahn. Sultan and Åsne developed a relationship and her fascination for the Afghanistan way of life grew. Eventually Sultan agreed to allow Åsne to move into his home and experience first hand life in the newly liberated capital city of Kabul.
Åsne was afforded an intimate look at life in Afghanistan. Sultan, his two wives, five children and hosts of relatives opened up their lives to her and she, through them, learned exactly what it is like to live in four small rooms in a country where customs can crush you.
Sultan is a committed Muslim with strict views on the role of women. Having decided to take a second wife, we see how Sharifa - his first wife and mother of his three sons - is suddenly pushed to the side. Mansur, his eldest son, is confused and takes his first religious pilgrimage seeking answers to life's questions. The youngest son, Anser, who is 12, is desperate to go to school and lead a normal boy's life, but Sultan insists that he work ten hours a day.
Åsne tells us the story of each of the family members, from wife to sister to mother, all of whom are desperately trying to embrace the western culture while Sultan deliberately clings to Muslim custom.
Through the Bookseller of Kabul, Åsne offers us an intimate look at life in Afghanistan, the persecution of women and customs that many of us would find laughable. Although it reads like a work of fiction, the fact that this book is a true story only adds to its impact.
Brilliantly written - a truly enlightening glimpse of a world that I hope will soon disappear.
Also by Åsne Seierstad
A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal
To read an interview with Åsne Seierstad click here
October 2004
