Pashtun Tales: From the Pakistan-Afghan Frontier

This has to be Asia's version of Aesop's Fables. Each story is rich with imagery and life from the mystical North West Frontier Province - probably the last free place on earth.
The stories are mixed and varied, and will appeal to all generations and cultures. A brilliant holiday book, but keep your copy close by - mine was left behind in a Kabul guesthouse by popular . . . especially from Pashtuns travellers. Talk about taking coals to Newcastle!

Art of story-telling revived (3/3 people found this helpful)

I think the art of storytelling is about to undergo a revival in the Pakistan-Afghan border region thanks to Pashtun Tales.
I took along my copy of the book during a recent journey
which led me to the tribal areas of Pakistan and deep in to
Afghanistan. Since most of the entertainment is self-generated, there was a great deal of fascination and curiosity as I poured through the pages of Pashtun Tales. And so, during many of the stops on my journey, I would read several of the stories contained in the book.
These would be verbally translated in Urdu, Pashto or Dari by a guide in the company. The book became so popular that it now rests in a guest house in Kabul where travellers weary of television or radio, can entertain themselves in a more traditional way.
Each story is a pure delight and most originate from the
tribal areas of the Pakistan-Afghan border, a region well known for its hospitality. Many of the tales have been generated over the centuries by travellers using the caravan routes from Persia, India and China and this is reflected in the content and characters.
The book is a compendium of pure delight, hilarity, wonder and entertainment which should be enjoyed by readers and listeners of all ages and cultural backgrounds. There is an excellent glossary of terms at the back, plus academic references, for those who wish to know more about the origins of words and terms peculiar to the Pashtuns.
Apart from keeping alive tales which could so easily have
been lost without trace, the authors are to be congratulated for
capturing and preserving forever the wit, fantasy, humour, chivalry
and romance which can still be found among Pashtuns. Modern-day
living may be eroding their way of life, but the Pashtun code of
honour will hopefully survive and maybe even the art of story telling will be revived. The book certainly livened up a few evenings across the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan for my companions and me.
Forget EastEnders and Coronation Street. All real life begins
and ends in Pashtun Tales.

Pashtun Tales: From the Pakistan-Afghan Frontier

Aisha Ahmad, Roger Boase

Reader Reviews:

The Art of Story Telling (1/1 people found this helpful)

Art of story-telling revived (3/3 people found this helpful)

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