The Afghans

'Asne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation' Luke Harding

'As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'No other recent book on the subject comes close' CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan

In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Asne 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.

In her compelling, intimate and thought-provoking new book, Seierstad introduces us to three people whose lives have been shaped by the fall and rise of the Taliban - 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.

Praise for Asne Seierstad:

'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other' Sunday Times on The Bookseller of Kabul

'Has the feel of a non-fiction novel - irresistible' New York Times on One of Us

'Hauntingly written, this book is both a masterpiece and a masterclass in investigative journalism' Christina Lamb on Two Sisters

'Meticulously documented, full of drama' Kate Adie on Two Sisters

As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating. It's also a deft history of the country since the 1960s, charting its journey from hippy hang-out to Soviet satellite state, jihadist battleground, and finally, failed nation-building project Daily Telegraph
Åsne Seierstad is one of the greatest, most courageous journalists of our time. While others were desperately fleeing Afghanistan, Seierstad traveled there alone to see the impact of the Taliban victory. This is an important, heartbreaking book about the limits of military power, religious fundamentalism, America's broken promises, and the profound betrayal of Afghan women Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation
The Afghans is not simply an addictively engrossing read, but is also a work of real importance as we come to terms with Afghanistan's recent past and the return of the Taliban. This is a deeply human piece of writing which approaches the war through the eyes of the Afghans, men and women, who lived it, who made impossible choices at difficult moments, and who continue to live with the consequences. 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
Seierstad is masterful . . . her book is world class Aftonbladet
Gripping . . . Seierstad succeeds in transforming the demonised stereotype - a Taliban terrorist - into a living, comprehensible human being Expressen
Enthralling and heart-breaking Dagens Noeringsliv
A heartbreaking account Observer

Asne Seierstad was born in 1970 and studied Russian, Spanish and the History of Philosophy at Oslo University. An internationally bestselling author, she has also received numerous awards for her journalism. She has worked as a war correspondent across the world, including Russia, China, Iraq and Afghanistan. Her second book, The Bookseller of Kabul, has sold over two million copies and the paperback was in the Sunday Times top ten for over a year. Her other critically acclaimed works include A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal and The Angel of Grozny. Following the atrocities in Oslo and Utoya in July 2011, she attended the trial of Anders Breivik and then began work on One of Us, which became a European bestseller. All of Asne Seierstad's books are published by Virago.

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