Tuesday 12 November 2013
Yasmina Khadr, Author of The Swallows of Kabul
Mohammed Moulessehoul, is the true identity of the man who wrote The Swallows of Kabul. Yasmina Khadr is the name of his wife that he adopted as his pen name in order to conceal his identity as an officer in the Algerian Army. This was done to prevent military censorship of his novels. Mohammed released his identity to the public in 2001 and left the Algerian army as a Major in 2004. Mohammed's reasoning behind The Swallows of Kabul is giving the west, that has barely scratched the surface, a better understanding of the core of Afghanistan and its cultural differences. Although Mohammed isn't from Afghanistan, and neither is his wife, he understands the Taliban as he has been fighting islamist extremists during his time in the military. Mohammed is able to understand the time and situation in Afghanistan because he can relate. This book also highlights the violence and meaning behind the conflict. I believe this book is a great choice for someone who is interested in the culture and wants to better their understanding of a Muslim state of mind and go farther than the western view of the middle eastern conflicts.
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Nikola....why is your text highlighted white, forcing me to highlight it so that I can read it?!?!
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that he chose to write a novel about Islamic extremism in Afghanistan, when he has little to no connection to the country. I wonder if he would have greater credibility had he written about a country with which he had experience. The negative side of me thinks that perhaps he chose to write about Afghanistan because it is a hot topic and an easy sell. Please prove me wrong!