Earth and Ashes - Softcover

Rahimi, Atiq

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099442124 ISBN 13: 9780099442127

Publisher: Vintage, 2003

Synopsis

This short novel, which can be read in one sitting, takes readers into the minds of civilians caught up in the extremity and ambiguity of war. Set during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, an old man and his grandson sit in a deserted landscape. As we watch them, we learn their story.

About this title

Review:

"Terribly poignant" (Times Literary Supplement)

"Novel, short story, fable? - it doesn't matter. This short book has a sadness that breaks your heart and a visual beauty shot through with the horror of war. Every word, every tear, every gesture is significant" (Nouvel Observateur)

"Dense, provocative and, most of all revelatory" (Claire Allfree Metro)

"A hallucinatory, tragic cry of despair" (Le Monde)

"With this novel Rahimi picks up a shard of broken glass and sees the whole truth of his devastated country" (Der Spiegel)

From the Publisher:

'It has the feel of a book of great antiquity and authority; you could more readily level the Afghan mountains than damage the dreaming culture that Earth and Ashes both embodies and silently trusts' Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0099442124
• ISBN 13: 9780099442127
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64