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

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The tales highlight a daily life that isn't routine, where one doesn't know how one will survive against the natural elements or political elements or military elements or patriarchal elements. Each of the works in this collection is written in simple, direct prose and offers vivid snapshots of a country beset by war and violence , where misogyny is rife but women continue to dream for a better future . In “D is for Daud” by Anahita Gharib Nawaz (translated from the Dari by Zubair Popalzai), a school teacher risks everything to help a young boy whose sister is being abused by her husband. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Many thanks to the authors, translators, publisher, all those who brought this book to fruition, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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. My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird is a landmark collection: the first anthology of short fiction by Afghan women.Zainab Akhlaqi’s Blossom, for example, draws on the real-life bombing of the Sayed ul-Shuhada high school in Kabul. Strongly recommended to anyone looking for a powerful OwnVoices work, giving voice to women who are rarely given a voice. Companion’ a story about an older woman whose children live abroad struck me because it reminded me of my own mother. I like a short story format from time to time in my reading and I think the form really suited these dificult stories as over a longer form it might be too much to digest.

Marie Bamyani, whose story The Black Crow of Winter is about a mother struggling to provide for her family, is passionate that the voices of Afghan women get heard. One of the many joys of reading is that the literature of a world far from our own has the potential to alter how we see ourselves.My Pillow’s Journey of Eleven Thousand, Eight Hundred, and Seventy-six Kilometers - Farangis Elyassi – Never thought a story about a pillow would be so poignant. Entering this world challenges the reader and demands a response beyond "I'm so lucky that's not me. Lyse Doucet is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent and a senior presenter with BBC World News television and BBC World Service radio.

This collection of twenty-three stories, written by eighteen Afghan women, shows us an inside view of ordinary life in Afghanistan.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. The following stories were especially impactful: “Daughter Number Eight,” “I Don’t Have the Flying Wings,” “Bad Luck,” “D for Daud” (this was the most seering and my favorite), “Khurshid Khanum, Rise and Shine. In “My Pillow’s Journey of Eleven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Six Kilometres” by Farangis Elyassi, (translated from the Dari by Dr.

This is one hell of a powerful book and I want to slap people round the face with it to make them read it. The anthology, My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird, was published this week by MacLehose Press, but many of the team involved have never met. Highlighted sometimes are culturally specific aspects – the anxiety around producing baby daughters when sons are revered and desired; the ramifications of husbands taking multiple wives with the blessing of society; and women just trying to go about daily life, amidst mortar attacks whilst trying to hold down a job or continue with education. My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird comes at a pivotal moment in Afghanistan's history, when these voices must be heard.Here we have stories of the everyday and extraordinary lives of Afghan women, all of them written before the Taliban took power in August 2021.