The Bookseller Of Kabul

The international bestseller: 'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other...a compelling read' Christina Lamb, SUNDAY TIMES

For more than twenty years Sultan Khan defied the authorities to supply books to the people of Kabul. He was arrested, interrogated and imprisoned, and watched illiterate soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. In spring 2002 award-winning journalist Asne Seierstad spent four months living with the bookseller and his family. As she steps back from the page and lets the Khans tell their stories, we learn of proposals and marriages, hope and fear, crime and punishment. The result is a unique portrait of a family and a country. 'A remarkable portrait, with deftly woven accounts of weddings and journeys, books and bookselling, relations and squabbles, firmly anchored by pleasing details about food and customs, all set against the backdrop of a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated...[Seierstad] was fascinated by everything she witnessed, and her curiosity and perceptive eye colours every page' INDEPENDENT

Short-listed for Nibbies 2004 (UK)

“"Written sometimes more like fiction than fact ... this is a remarkable portrait, with deftly woven accounts of weddings and journeys, books and bookselling, relations and squabbles, firmly anchored by pleasing details about food and customs, all set against the backdrop of a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated" Independent”

Written sometimes more like fiction than fact...this is a remarkable portrait, with deftly woven accounts of weddings and journeys, books and bookselling, relations and squabbles, firmly anchored by pleasing details about food and customs, all set against the backdrop of a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated - Independant

Remarkable...honestly and intelligently written - Daily Telegraph

Fascinating...a colourful portrait of people struggling to survive in the most brutal circumstances...bear[s] witness to the power of literature to withstand even the most repressive regime - Daily Mail

An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other book available on the country. It is a compelling read - Sunday Times

Asne Seierstad (born 1970) has reported from Russia, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, amongst many other countries. She has received numerous awards for her journalism.

The international bestseller: 'An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other...a compelling read' Christina Lamb, SUNDAY TIMESFor more than twenty years Sultan Khan defied the authorities to supply books to the people of Kabul. He was arrested, interrogated and imprisoned, and watched illiterate soldiers burn piles of his books in the street. In spring 2002 award-winning journalist Asne Seierstad spent four months living with the bookseller and his family. As she steps back from the page and lets the Khans tell their stories, we learn of proposals and marriages, hope and fear, crime and punishment. The result is a unique portrait of a family and a country. 'A remarkable portrait, with deftly woven accounts of weddings and journeys, books and bookselling, relations and squabbles, firmly anchored by pleasing details about food and customs, all set against the backdrop of a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated...[Seierstad] was fascinated by everything she witnessed, and her curiosity and perceptive eye colours every page' INDEPENDENT

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