Description

In his extraordinary novella Earth and Ashes (now a feature film), Atiq Rahimi distilled all the suffering of the Afghan people into the heart-breaking story of a grandfather seeking revenge for his daughter’s death. In his new novel, he once again uses his gift for economy to send the reader deep into the fractured mind and emotions of a country caught between religion and the political machinations of the world’s super powers.

Born in Afghanistan in 1962, Atiq Rahimi fled to France in 1984 to escape the Soviet coup. There he has made a name as a writer, film and documentary maker of exceptional note. The feature film of Earth and Ashes was realeased in 2005 to great acclaim and Rahimi is about to publish in France a book of his photographs of Afghanistan. He has been heavily involved in Afghan cultural life since the American invasion, particularly in the creation of a ‘Writers’ House’ in Kabul. He lives in Paris.