The Afghans

‘Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation’ Luke Harding

‘As an exploration of the social fabric of Afghan life, this book takes some beating’ DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘No other recent book on the subject comes close’ CPW Gammell, author of The Pearl of Khorasan

In her international bestseller The Bookseller of Kabul, award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad studied life in Afghanistan before and after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. Now twenty years later, the Taliban is back in power, and Seierstad returns with The Afghans, a book to help us understand Afghanistan's past, present and future, told through the lives of three unforgettable people.

In her compelling, intimate, and thought-provoking new book, Seierstad introduces us to three people whose lives have been shaped by the fall and rise of the Taliban - Jamila, Bashir, and Ariana - as well as their families, friends, foes, and co-fighters. Jamila is a women's rights activist; Bashir is a Taliban commander; Ariana is a law student who had one semester left when the Taliban came to power.

The stories of these three Afghans encompass love, loss, revolt, and war, as well as the everyday rhythms of family life. Through them, we experience and come to understand the lead-up to the Taliban retaking power in 2021, how the first year of Taliban rule unfolded, and where this leaves Afghans today, and tomorrow.

Praise for Åsne Seierstad:

‘An intimate portrait of Afghani people quite unlike any other’ Sunday Times on The Bookseller of Kabul

‘Has the feel of a non-fiction novel - irresistible’ New York Times on One of Us

‘Hauntingly written, this book is both a masterpiece and a masterclass in investigative journalism’ Christina Lamb on Two Sisters

‘Meticulously documented, full of drama’ Kate Adie on Two Sisters