The Bookseller of Kabul

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The Bookseller of Kabul is a non-fiction book written (post 9/11) by Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad, about a bookseller, Shah Muhammad Rais (whose name was changed to Sultan Khan), and his family in Kabul, Afghanistan. It contrasts with other varieties of nonfiction, in that it makes no attempt to describe the average or overview of Kabul, or its booksellers, and instead, more like a novel, focuses on characters and the daily issues that they face. More specific issues that it describes through the events are:

• Afghan traditions, family models, and the role of women
• The changes felt by the Afghan population as they go through the rule of the USSR, Taliban, and coalition-supported democracy
• The balance between Westernization and traditional Islam
• The conditions the women still live under and the domination of males

Controversy Surrounding The Bookseller of Kabul

Following global critical acclaim, many of the book's descriptions have been contested by Rais, who has taken the author to court in Norway for what he says is a defamation and assault on his character, family and country. Seierstad for her part insists on the integrity of her account and asserts that Rais has no grounds for a successful challenge. Throughout the book Rais is depicted as a fairly nonpartisan intellectual who has suffered greatly under different regimes and worked hard all his life, but no different from many Afghans in his horrendous and selfish treatment of women. Rais has claimed to defend women's rights, pointing out his opposition to extremism and his assistance to the author and many other journalists over the years. As Rais is such a well-known figure in Kabul, the author's attempt to anonymise the family by changing their names has been unsuccessful.