The Wandering Falcon - Couverture rigide

Ahmad, Jamil

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1410444988 ISBN 13 : 9781410444981

Editeur : Thorndike Pr, 2012

Synopsis

Follows the story of refugees' son Tor Baz, who travels throughout the remote tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan and witnesses the effects of extreme culture and geography on the lives of those he encounters.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

The Wandering Falcon is Jamil Ahmad's harsh and beautiful portrait of a tribal landscape.SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN ASIAN PRIZE 2011LONGLISTED FOR THE DSC SOUTH ASIAN PRIZE 2013The boy known as Tor Baz - the black falcon - wanders the tribal landscape of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. He meets men who fight under different flags, and women who risk everything if they break their society's code of honour. Where has he come from, and where will fate take him?'Striking. One of the finest collections of short stories to come out of south Asia in decades. Rarely has a writer shown greater empathy for its people, or brought such wisdom and knowledge to writing about a terrain largely inaccessible. The power and beauty of these stories are unparalleled in most fiction to come out of south Asia' Guardian'Astonishing' Independent'Remarkable. Written in a style that has about it the reverberant clarity of fables, but their intention is realist, uncovering a largely neglected world, and their cumulative effect is deeply moving' Sunday Times'Its setting alone, in the cruel and punishing highlands, deserts and rocky altitudes where the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran meet, is worth the price of admission. Here is a book, to my knowledge the first in fiction, that gives an insider's account of the hard-bitten lives of the scores of tribes, collectively known as the Pawindas, or foot-people. The result is mesmerising' The Times'Brilliantly evokes the harshness of nomadic life. Chilling' MetroJamil Ahmad was born in Jalandhar in 1933. As a member of the Civil Service of Pakistan, he served mainly in the Frontier Province and in Balochistan. He was Political Agent in Quetta, Chaghi, Khyber and Malakand and later, commissioner in Dera Ismail Khan and Swat. He was posted as minister in Pakistan's embassy in Kabul at a critical time, before and during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and his last assignment in the government was Chief Secretary Balochistan. He lives in Islamabad with his wife, Helga Ahmad.

Présentation de l'éditeur

'The mullah left the fort with the boy walking beside him and the little puppy, who had been with his new owner less than a month, trotting behind.' The boy - known as Tor Baz, the wandering falcon - journeys between tribes. Where does he come from, and what is his story? He meets men who fight under different flags, and women who risk everything if they break their society's code of honour. Set in the decades before the rise of the Taliban, Jamil Ahmad's stunning debut takes us to the essence of human life in the forbidden areas where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet. The media today speak often about 'the tribal areas' - a remote region; a hotbed of conspiracies, drone attacks and conflict. Now, for the first time, this traditional, honour-bound culture is revealed from the inside. Jamil Ahmad is seventy-eight years old and has spent long years among the peoples of the frontier. In The Wandering Falcon, he describes a world of custom and cruelty, of love and gentleness, of hardship and survival, a fragile, unforgiving world that is changing as modern forces make themselves known. With the fate-defying story of Tor Baz, he has written an unforgettable novel of insight, compassion and timeless wisdom.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Thorndike Pr
• Date d'édition: 2012
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1410444988
• ISBN 13: 9781410444981
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 351
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible