reviewed by Hollie Nielsen, AWCC Scotland
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad (published in English in 2003) is a non-fiction description of the life and family of Shah Muhammad Rais. At Shah M Book Co, Rais braved persecution to bring books to the people of Kabul over the course of three decades and successive repressive regimes. As well as covering Mr. Rais, author Asne Seierstad gives an account of Afghanistan's complex history and the conditions of Afghan women, whose lives are very much dominated by men. The book discusses the conflict between modernization and Westerization with traditional Islam. Rais believes that problems can be overcome by reading, which is good because he says Afghans love to read. In 2022, Rais sought asylum in the UK, feeling that issues raised in the book made life unsafe for him and his family in Kabul. If you are interested in his story, he has written his own book, Once Upon a Time There Was a Bookseller in Kabul. In addition, this article in The Guardian provides insight into Rais’s asylum seeking.
This book is interesting and important, especially now with girls and women denied schooling in Afghanistan. It’s helpful for all of us to try to understand some of the complexities of Afghanistan and the plight of women there. For more information, see this Guardian newsletter and this article.
