A Book Store in Kabul
The Bookseller of Kabul is Real: Drop by for a Visit
This tiny bookshop in Kabul is a a monument to the strength and vision of one man: drop in for a visit, and pick up copies of books you would never have known existed.
Whether you are aware of the controversy surrounding the publication of the bestselling Bookseller of Kabul or not, Shah M Books, tucked into a row of only lighty-shelled buildings on charahi Sadarat in Kabul, Afghanistan, is certainly worth more than a cursory visit.
The Bookseller of Kabul depicted Shah Muhammed as a despotic father and husband who, despite his more-liberal-than-average leanings, rules his family with an iron fist, and is guilty of such crimes as not allowing his sons an education, and tyrannizing his daughters.
After the book's publication, Shah Muhammed took the unprecedented step of flying to the west to sue the author, Asne Seierstad, for libel, claiming that she distorted family situations, revealed information she had promised not to, and painted the people and society of Afghanistan in a negative light.
Beyond all this controversy is the material triumph of the bookstore itself, a monument to willpower and a the desire to preserve knowledge in the face of all odds.
The bookstore is packed from floor to ceiling with the most extensive range of English-language books available on Afghanistan, ranging from fiction to history to guidebooks to anthropological studies of the tribes that make up Afghanistan’s complex and often (not to say always) divided population.
Shah Muhammed Rais has survived the Taliban and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, preserving an amazing collection of books despite all odds: at one point he even hid over 10,000 books in attics across the city.
The result is this cosy little bookshop where it is possible to browse for hours among the enormous collection of titles: truly a masterpiece of a specialized bookshop.
It was here that I picked up my copy of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, at the owner’s recommendation, as well as a collection of short stories by writers from Afghanistan, made available by the publishing and printing arm of Shah M Books, that I certainly would not have been able to find anywhere else. With courage and great fortitude, Shah Muhammed Rais, who often presides over the bookstore himself, has managed to preserve a treasure trove of information about this troubled and war-torn country.
There is also a branch of Shah M Books, with a much more limited selection, at the Hotel InterContinental. And for those who never plan on setting foot in Kabul, Shah Muhammed can be contacted by email about orders at shahm.bookco@usa.net. This is a business that is certainly worth supporting.
