THE BOOK FAIR

Asne Seierstad, a Norwegian journalist reporting in Afghanistan, lived with the commandos of the Northern Alliance for six weeks, traveling with them throughout Afghanistan, the mountains, the desert, the valley, and the steppes.

 

After the fall of the Taliban, Seierstad traveled to Kabul where she met the elegant, Sultan Khan while browsing through the many, diverse books in his shop.  Seierstad felt drawn to the interesting bookseller enjoying conversations with him and learned he had rebuilt his bookshops after the Communists burned his books, the Mujahedeen looted his books and the Taliban burned his books, again.

After several meetings with Sultan Khan, he invited her to his home.  Seierstad at this point decided to write a book on the family and requested to live in his home.  Sultan Khan agreed.

Seierstad stresses her story is about an untypical family in that most Afghans are illiterate and the average Afghan family lives in the countryside and struggles against hunger.  Seierstad communicated with Khan family members in English and lived with the family for some months in 2002. 

The Khan family is middle class and lives well by Afghan standards. Their building, built by the Russians, sometimes has water and electricity, though not to their particular apartment.  Seierstad’s story of the Khan family explores the daily habits of the family members, the restrictions of women and the complicated relationships with one another.

 

This work is an extraordinary look behind the burqa or purdah.  The author sheds light on war torn Afghanistan covering the different factions within the country from the border with Pakistan to the southern and eastern areas, the different war lords who used the Americans, the hero Massoud, and the Northern Alliance, the Tajiks Pashtuns, and Hazaras.

Under the new government women are no longer required to veil.  However, the Taliban’s inhuman wrath left indelible scars upon the nation; removing the burqa will not be simple.  Most women choose to wear the burka simply to avoid issues of harassment or unwanted attention.

Seierstad wore the burka to understand the oppression of women who wear it.   She describes the burka as suffocating, allowing little air in making it hot and difficult to breathe.  The burka also restricts vision allowing no periphery and prevents women from seeing their feet so makes walking difficult.  On buses, women are routinely crowded into seats designated for women only.  Women also ride in the trunk of a taxi if a male occupies the back seat.

Afghanistan was in better condition in the 1960’s than it is today, 2014.  Russia invested in Afghanistan building roadways and centers: the USA invested in Pakistan.

Sultan Khan is actually Shah Mohammed Rais.  After reading the book by Seierstad, displeased with the portrayal of his family, he followed with a libel suit in a Norwegian court.