My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird

New Fiction by Afghan Women

Contributors

By 18 Afghan Women

Read by Sitara Attaie

Formats and Prices

Format

Format:

  1. Audiobook Download (Unabridged)
  2. ebook $12.99 $16.99 CAD
  3. Hardcover $25.00 $31.00 CAD

A landmark collection: the first anthology of short fiction by Afghan women that are "powerful, profound, and deeply moving" (Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees, a Reese's Book Club pick)

"My pen is the wing of a bird; it will tell you those thoughts we are not allowed to think, those dreams we are not allowed to dream."

Eighteen Afghan women living in, speaking about, and writing from the country itself tell stories that are powerful and illuminating, unique and universal – stories of family, work, childhood, friendship, war, gender identity, and cultural traditions. 

A woman's fortitude saves her village from disaster. A  teenager explores their identity in a moment of quiet.  A  tormented girl tries to find love through a horrific act. A headmaster makes his way to work, treading the fine line between life and death.

These and more original, vital, and unexpected stories hail from extraordinary voices rooted in Afghanistan's two main linguistic groups (Pashto and Dari), and were developed over two years through the writer development program Untold's Write Aghanistan Project.  My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird comes at a pivotal moment in Afghanistan's history, when these voices must be heard.

With an Introduction by [to come] and Afterword by Lucy Hannah, Founder and Director of Untold


 

Genre:

  • "Powerful, profound and deeply moving, new fiction by Afghan women writers will expand your mind and elevate your heart."
    ELIF SHAFAK, author of The Island of Missing Trees, a 2021 Reese’s Book Club Pick
  • "Sometimes, life is having beautiful dreams in a nightmare. The authors of this book express their longing to escape a nightmare and build a liveable world. A liveable world for everyone, but especially for women at a time when their body and soul are being destroyed."
    BURHAN SÖNMEZ, President of International PEN

On Sale
Oct 18, 2022
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781668612262

18 Afghan Women

About the Author

The authors are Maryam Mahjoba, Freshta Ghani, Masouma Kawsari, Fatema Haidari, Sharifa Pasun, Elahe Hosseini, Batool Haidari, Atifa Mozaffari, Anahita Gharib Nawaz, Parand, Marie Bamyani, Maliha Naji, Fatima Saadat, Farangis Elyassi, Fatema Khavari, Naeema Ghani, Zainab Aklhaqi, and Rana Zurmaty.

Learn more about this author