My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women

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Vaikka kirjallinen taso vaihtelee, jokainen tarina koskettaa ja kertoo jotain naisten vaihtelevista tilanteista Afganistanin arjessa. They have poured their creativity spirit forth in this collection of stories and all the authors are to be commended for their wonderful ability to tell their stories through amazing storytelling. On reflection I have rated this as a 5 out of 5 as the bravery and the content has really impacted me and stayed with me as well as given me much to think about. The afterword is very enlightening about the circumstances surrounding the writing and compilation of this book, and I highly recommend reading that as well. The stories have been divided across four untitled sections, but I simply could not figure out the basis of the compartmentalisation.

Finally, ‘Blossom’, inspired by an insurgent attack on a high-school, was heartbreaking and beautiful in equal measure. This is one hell of a powerful book and I want to slap people round the face with it to make them read it. These stories demand that we not just provide long-distance witness to these women's lives, but that we we consider concrete actions that might provide meaningful change and find ways to use the power we have, even if at times we feel powerless. Lyse Doucet is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent and a senior presenter with BBC World News television and BBC World Service radio. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around October 18, 2022.There is a beautiful simplicity to the prose in these stories which helps cut through to the deeper feeling and meaning in each of the stories.

My Pen is the Wing of a Bird is an anthology of short fiction written by Aghan women and painstakingly translated into English, not only for the benefit of English-speaking audiences, but out of necessity; the current political climate in Afghanistan prevents these women from being published, and therefore from finding a readership, in their own country. So this is about encouraging the global gatekeepers to welcome in voices, in translation, who don’t necessarily have a local creative infrastructure to support them.Work on this anthology began before the US withdrawl and the retaking of the country by the Taliban.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this to lovers of ‘We Are Displaced’ by Malala Yousafzai and The Persephone Book of Short Stories.Despite their brevity, the stories convey so much - about life, hardship, sacrifice, strength, endurance and triumph. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.