WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY TARAN KHAN, author of Shadow City
TRANSLATED FROM BENGALI BY NAZES AFROZ
An intrepid traveller and true cosmopolitan, legendary Bengali writer Syed Mujtaba Ali spent a year and a half teaching in Kabul from 1927 to 1929. Curious to explore Afghan society, Mujtaba Ali had access to a cross-section of Kabul’s population, and in In a Land Far from Home he chronicles his experiences with a keen eye and a wicked sense of humour.
Mujtaba Ali’s travels coincided with a critical point in Afghanistan’s history: when the reformist King Amanullah tried to steer his country towards modernity by encouraging education for girls and giving them the choice of removing the burqa. Branded a ‘kafir’, Amanullah was overthrown by the bandit leader Bacha-e-Saqao. With striking parallels to twenty-first century events in the region, In a Land Far From Home is the only first-hand account of this tumultuous period by a non-Afghan.
Providing a unique perspective, Mujtaba Ali’s fascinating account is brought to life by contact with a colourful cast of characters at all levels of society — from the garrulous Pathan Dost Muhammed and the gentle Russian giant Bolshov, to his servant, Abdur Rahman and his partner in tennis, the Crown Prince Enayatullah.
TRANSLATED FROM BENGALI BY NAZES AFROZ
An intrepid traveller and true cosmopolitan, legendary Bengali writer Syed Mujtaba Ali spent a year and a half teaching in Kabul from 1927 to 1929. Curious to explore Afghan society, Mujtaba Ali had access to a cross-section of Kabul’s population, and in In a Land Far from Home he chronicles his experiences with a keen eye and a wicked sense of humour.
Mujtaba Ali’s travels coincided with a critical point in Afghanistan’s history: when the reformist King Amanullah tried to steer his country towards modernity by encouraging education for girls and giving them the choice of removing the burqa. Branded a ‘kafir’, Amanullah was overthrown by the bandit leader Bacha-e-Saqao. With striking parallels to twenty-first century events in the region, In a Land Far From Home is the only first-hand account of this tumultuous period by a non-Afghan.
Providing a unique perspective, Mujtaba Ali’s fascinating account is brought to life by contact with a colourful cast of characters at all levels of society — from the garrulous Pathan Dost Muhammed and the gentle Russian giant Bolshov, to his servant, Abdur Rahman and his partner in tennis, the Crown Prince Enayatullah.
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