"The Gifts of the State and Other Stories: New Writing from
Afghanistan" radically reshapes our idea of Afghanistan as a place
of unquestioning religiosity, brutal sexism, and anti-American and
Russian resistance. Rather, employing stark naturalism and
surrealistic and genre elements, these writers bravely depict
Western-styled women in former Russian apartments and men obsessed
with fantasies based on Mickey Spillane novels.
"Though it is set in a place we think we know (Afghanistan),
this continuously startling and often very moving book opens up a
new country, a fresh and diverse landscape of human striving and
disappointment. With grace, melancholy and wit, it describes the
joys and sadnesses of ordinary life obscured by the last decade of
shrill headlines. Everyone should read it."--Pankaj Mishra
"Very little of what is written in English can describe the grip
of Afghanistan's "normal emergency" as can these beautiful,
remarkable stories. They are heartbreaking and violent tales,
excerpts from the minds of orphans who mourn not so much mere
parents as ancestry itself - the ancestry of history and wisdom -
and there is rarely any redemption to the grief save only the
lyricism of storytelling. But this lyricism is rich, one that
brings into fluid English the poignant harmonies of other
literatures and tongues, and it carries with it a faith greater
than those of warring forces." --Rana Dasgupta, author of "Tokyo
Canceled" and "Solo"
"I was extremely impressed by this collection of stories by
Afghan writers under thirty. From the elemental simplicity of Abdul
Shakoor Jawad's story of retribution and reconciliation, 'The
Hasher', to the acid wit of Hosai Wardak's exposure of collective
mysogyny, 'Ice Cream', to the complex horrors of Khalid Ahmad
Atif's extraordinary war story, 'The Sea Floor', the work on
display here is not only gripping and beautifully executed, but
also possessed of a rare cultural and political urgency. I
recommend it very highly."--James Lasdun
Adam Klein is the author of story collection "The Medicine
Burns," the novel "Tiny Ladies," and the artist monograph "Jerome:
After the Pageant." His work has appeared in "Bomb," the "New York
Times At War Blog," and the "Huffington Post."
General
Imprint: |
Dzanc Books
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2013 |
First published: |
December 2013 |
Editors: |
Adam Klein
|
Foreword by: |
Eliza Griswold
|
Dimensions: |
211 x 137 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
175 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-938604-55-3 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Special features >
Short stories
|
LSN: |
1-938604-55-5 |
Barcode: |
9781938604553 |
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