Rahimi
2004 Shortlist

Earth and Ashes

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Earth and Ashes, set during the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, is a fable about war, family, home and tradition. And old man and his grandson sit in a deserted landscape of dusty roads and looming mountains. What are they waiting for? As we watch them, we learn their story. In one short day they have witnessed all the horrors of war: a Russian bomb, a village in flames, the death of everyone they love. Now the old man must carry the news to the coal mine where the boy’s father works. Yet his arrival there will spell further tragedy when he is led to believe that his son has betrayed codes of honour that lie deep in the Afghan soul.
Rahimi has managed to condense centuries of Afghan history into this short tale of three very different generations. At the same time, he has created a story that is universal in its power. Bleak though his message is, the extraordinary beauty of his prose and the clarity of his vision offer hope and redemption.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Atiq
Rahimi

Atiq Rahimi was born in Afghanistan in 1962, but fled to France in 1984.  There he has become renowned as a maker of documentary and feature films, and as a writer.  The film of Earth and Ashes was in the Official Selection at Cannes in 2004 and won a number of prizes. He is currently adapting A Thousand Rooms of Dreams and Fear for the screen.  Since 2001 Rahimi has returned to Afghanistan a number of times to set up a Writers’ House in Kabul and offer support and training to young Afghan writers and film-makers. He lives in Paris.

Atiq Rahimi was born in Afghanistan in 1962, but fled to France in 1984.  There he has become renowned as a maker of documentary and feature films, and as a writer.  The film of Earth and Ashes was in the Official Selection at Cannes in 2004 and won a number of prizes. He is currently adapting A Thousand Rooms of Dreams and Fear for the screen.  Since 2001 Rahimi has returned to Afghanistan a number of times to set up a Writers’ House in Kabul and offer support and training to young Afghan writers and film-makers. He lives in Paris.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date published
03/10/2002
Country
Afghanistan, France
Original Language
Dari
Author
Publisher
Chatto and Windus
Translator
Erdag M. Göknar

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