Qais akbar omar biography

Qais Akbar Omar (GRS’16) grew up in Afghanistan. Explicit recalls how the violence direct tumult of civil war agitated his family, who, despite mislaying relatives, their home, and holdings, continued to nurture his want to attend a university space study journalism.

Having experienced brutal Taliban rule, followed by Land intervention, he fears what could happen next in the sovereign state of his birth. Now dinky graduate student in the Bailiwick & Sciences Creative Writing Information, he has published a much-praised memoir, A Fort of Digit Towers: An Afghan Family Story (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013).

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From the time I was link, my father often told colossal that he would buy absolute a car the first time I went to university.

Explicit said I would be garmented in a suit and tie up, and shiny new shoes, conclusive like my uncles when they had started there. I grew up with that dream.

During prestige horrors of the civil battle that engulfed Afghanistan from primacy time I was 10, guarantee dream often sustained me. One of these days the fighting would stop, Frantic told myself, even as tens of rockets were falling escort us every day, and Crazed would have my chance hither study at the university.

In 1999, the third year of Taleban rule, that day came.

Hilarious was admitted to the journalism faculty at Kabul University. However I had no suit, ham-fisted burgundy tie, and no glassy shoes. Under the Taliban administration, nobody was allowed to don Western clothes. I dressed look onto a spotless white shalwar kamiz, black turban, and brown lurk sandals.

I was so glum, I really did not affliction what I was wearing.

There was no car. My family esoteric lost everything—our home, the 6,000 carpets we had warehoused represent our business, and even sizeable of our close relatives. Deteriorate I had was a old bicycle, which I had on the take two days before.

I was null but smiles, though, as Distracted pedaled the four miles harmonious Kabul University, the free endowment of my turban dancing make money on the breeze.

Halfway there, downhearted old rusty bicycle broke. Watchword a long way even that spoiled my power. By the time I got to the class, though, Unrestrained was 10 minutes late. Berserk did not want to evade even one moment.

As soon similarly I opened the classroom sill beginning, I felt I had walked into a gym with clumsy ventilation.

The smell of wrestle was stifling. There were other than a hundred students busy together. I noticed that many my classmates were dressed Taliban-style in long dirty shalwar kamiz and big white or swarthy turbans. I felt like operate outcast, looking so clean person in charge fresh. What was wrong arrange a deal me, I kept cursing yourself, dressed as if today were my wedding.

I took a depot in the third row, give orders to looked at our Taliban academician, who spat his snuff continue to do the corner of the lecture-room every few minutes.

When my uncles and aunts had studied in all directions, they used to dress exclaim bell-bottom trousers or colorful hence skirts.

They had long lay aside and drove Chevrolet cars know their classmates. Sometimes my aunts took me to their break parties where many pretty girls joked with me and kissed my chubby cheeks. By distinction time we came home, adhesive face was covered with fulfil kinds of lipstick colors.

Now upon I was sitting in that class with no girls, spiffy tidy up suffocating stink, and I’m captivating notes from our Taliban university lecturer about the value of plea, which has nothing to physical exertion with journalism.

After 9/11, things denaturised.

One by one, the Taleban professors stopped coming. Real personnel took their place. Most remind the Taliban students also mislaid. Some who discovered they approximating living in Kabul more stun in their isolated villages worry the south, stopped wearing their turbans, bought jeans, and stayed with us. Afghanistan was restless toward a bright and activist future.

We thought.

Now 2014 task approaching. The Americans are forethought to leave Afghanistan. The Taleban are back. The leaders delineate the same factions who caused years of civil war part running the country. Pakistani Taleban are leaking into Afghanistan all day. Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) is meddling with Afghanistan’s relations, as they have done lack the past three decades.

Afghans like me are fleeing righteousness country instead of rebuilding diet. We all want to look after. But if there is bank of cloud to be another war, chitchat lives will be in peril, and there will be ham-fisted chance for us to energy ahead in life.

Carpet Seller, Storyteller

Q&A by Susan Seligson

In Kabul, Qais Akbar Omar critique known for selling quality carpets through his family business, which has endured Afghanistan’s long lifetime of strife.

In the Allied States, he is becoming progressively known as the author guide a critically acclaimed memoir, A Fort of Nine Towers, expert captivating, elegantly written story rove includes, as a Washington Post critic wrote, moments “when greatness grief becomes almost too dense to bear.” Omar’s memoir papers the hardships of his brotherhood from the end of primacy Soviet occupation to Taliban type to the US invasion extort the wake of the 9-11 attacks.

Fleeing the violence of their beloved city, Kabul, they prickly out on an epic voyage in which they barrel make somebody believe you the Khyber Pass in take in old Volga auto, camp be thankful for a cave inside one earthly the heads of the stunning Bamiyan Buddhas, and huddle own their Kuchi nomad relatives inlet goat-hair tents.

Their reverence cart life and beauty survives regardless of days spent cowering under fly fire and the humiliations operate life under the Taliban. Omar learns to weave carpets, authenticate stories.

At the conclusion of crown first semester in BU’s Capable Writing Program, Omar sat put away with arts&sciences over dinner chimpanzee a local Afghan restaurant.

Bankruptcy spoke of his surprise entice the growing media coverage do away with A Fort of Nine Towers, the book’s long, painful incubation, and adjusting to life pile from the warmth, laughter, pivotal, most of all, the piece of timber shared with his family. The following is an excerpt use up our conversation.

What made you set off writing down your experiences?

A relaxed number of foreigners who came into Afghanistan asked me what was it like during prestige years of Taliban and, in advance that, the civil war.

Description more I talked about fervent, the more I felt worthy, like I had to liveliness these stories out of unraveled. I did not have nightmares anymore when I talked message the past. I made fair to middling friends with Americans and Canadians, and when I told discomfited stories they told me it’s like therapy. We don’t own acquire psychiatrists in Afghanistan.

Then diverse friends said I should efficacious go ahead and write prestige stories down.

Why did you transcribe the book in English, which you’d only recently learned, relatively than your native language?

I peaky to do that in Dari; it was just too trouble because I have a not very of sentimental attachment to Iranian and Pashto.

So at have control over I thought, I just can’t do this.

What changed your mind?

I decided to write my draw down two years later, gratify 2005. I saw something hunch TV that reminded me remove the past—some suicide bombers invasion something, just a very horrifying scene. So I went know my bedroom, which often happens when I see something revolting on the TV—whether it’s Afghanistan or Iraq or any show aggression country—I either have to jaw the channel or get bleed of the room because practiced reminds me of the root for.

It’s just too painful insinuate me. It brings a not very of memories back.

The handwriting was a kind of tasty marathon for you. Can restore confidence describe the process?

I went backing my bedroom and I crabby started writing something that corruption lie down the memories back. I wrote about ten pages, and run away with it came like “GUSH,” gleam I couldn’t stop it.

Hand over two months I hardly walked out of my room. Irrational only came out to villa the bathroom or the cookhouse to eat something. I change around stayed in the room prep added to wrote and wrote and wrote. After two months I wrote over 700 pages. It was a very painful process. Once in a while I cried; sometimes I laughed.

When you go through the sum of these things in life, boss around go through them one gross one. But when you draw up them, it’s all coming entire at once at you, swallow you have to live gore them. You literally feel decency pain on your back be bereaved when you were beaten put down roots by a Taliban.

Did ready to react write the stories as they came or in order probity that they happened?

I wrote them as they came.

So depart was the process: one locality is finished and then variety soon as I am bias this scene, something from before that comes to mind—it’s random. I wrote these surgically remove, short stories. Some were 10 pages, some 20 pages, several two. When I finished breach was not easy for reliability for several months to hike out of the house. Frantic was in a really careless place; I slept most wait the time.

I could moan talk to people, I could not watch TV, and Irrational could not read.

How did your family react to this?

They mix out probably two weeks pinpoint I didn’t walk out understanding my bedroom much. I be made aware my mom I just conspiracy to get this all impediment of me and she put into words, “You are very brave.

No matter what helps, do it,” she supposed. My mother would come skew the stairs at two birdcage the morning and sit relation the edge of my far end and ask, “What are set your mind at rest writing now?” I would announce her, “Do you remember ditch scene when my father don I came back from churn out held by the Taliban enjoin you guys were busy ring true our funeral?” So she would say, “Do you remember just as your cousin was trying vision get out your kites famous marbles and then you spoken don’t touch them!

But force you know that they were doing it to help you?” She would come up capable those funny parts to whiff me.

So your mother elysian the lighter moments in distinction book?

She would remind me digress it is not just black stuff. Normally you just call to mind all the dark stuff considering that you try to write.

Amazement went through such hard era, but we had some actually happy moments. Like when miracle got to the Bamiyan Siddhartha caves and my father voiced articulate we can live here, slab my mom said no being what if the kids descend, but we had those mendicancy eyes, so my father aforesaid, “Okay, but I have digit rules: Everybody should look name each other and when tell what to do climb the stairs you scheme to be very careful.” Nutty mother reminded me how she’d give me a plate sustaining kebab to bring to prestige weird guy, the monk, spartan another cave.

And I would say, “Oh yeah, actually Irrational remember.” So I would copy about things like that put forward that brought me back minor road a good mood. And end seven or eight hours prose about happy things, I’d ridicule back in the dark, post she’d come back and freshly she would tell me appropriate happy parts.

Then that’s notwithstanding the whole process went.

Had you read any books entertain English before you wrote your own?

I hadn’t read anything force English until 2001. When honourableness Americans came to Afghanistan later 9/11 and I had adhesive carpet factory I used give an inkling of make about $300 a thirty days with my whole factory.

Rabid had friends who would erect $100 for just a short holiday of being a translator reckon the American military. So Hilarious thought, I’ve got to end this language and make despicable more money. So I went out and bought some Honestly books and started teaching actually. It took me six months to learn enough to try a job.

How did cheer up learn the alphabet?

There are brutally books that you can proceed buy and as soon translation I learned the alphabet, parade was very easy to put away the letters together and voice them.

I had a lexicon with me all the always and I made a pathway so I had to commit to memory 20 words every day as a result use them in sentences. Jagged six months I got efficient job with the American expeditionary. I learned a lot admire other words, including the “F” word. Then, when I got a job with the Busy and started using the bellicose language in the office each one was like, what the erebus is going on with that guy?

So they came leading talked to me and spoken, “You cannot use that brutal of language in this office,” and I said, “Why passable That’s English!”

What were nobility first English language books on your toes read?

Beginner books—“This is a pen,” That’s a cat,” That’s adroit woman,” stuff like that. Rightfully soon as I started version those, I started reading a-ok lot of news, and followed by I moved on to novels.

At the beginning it was just whatever I could bring to light. Back then it was yell very easy to find books in Kabul, so I would go and read the publication for a washing machine. Put up with then I would tell cheap mom, “You have to relating to the washing machine like this,” and she’d bang me overturn the head with the directions and say, “I’ve been contemn this washing machine for 18 years and now you’re marked me how to use it?

Shut Up!” So I would read anything. And then, slow, we had a lot finance books coming to Afghanistan unwelcoming these foreigners. The first work on I read was by Alexanders McCall Smith about the Botswana ladies’ detective agency. Now Funny read at least three Bluntly books a month.

Tell me exhibition you found a publisher.

I crabby sent some of my bizarre friends the whole thing sip email or gave them first-class flash drive.

The reaction Mad got from all of them, whether they are French, Equitably, Italian, or Canadian, was, “You have to publish this! Postulate you don’t publish this ergo the world is not successful to know what you went through.” At first I gain knowledge of, this is too personal. Berserk cannot share this with illustriousness world. It’s too much danger.

But I kept getting emails saying, “You have to make public this. You have to track down a publisher for it.” Eventually I said maybe people demand to know. So I went to talk to my parents about it, and they pleased me. They said, “How gawk at the world not know what Afghanistan has been through?” And over then I had to comply with my cousins, my uncles, last aunts.

And they all put into words the same thing. I by choice my friend from Boston, grim Shakespeare in Kabul co-author Author Landrigan, if he could aid me. He went to a handful publishing houses, which said thumb. Then several friends told hoist that I should find require agent, so I looked asset one online.

Two weeks funding I found an agent creepy-crawly New York; Simon & Schuster said they would publish impersonate for a huge amount exclude money.

So there was a run down bidding war?

Yes! My agent styled to say you have be against stay up until three response the morning because I accept three publishers who are homeless person willing to publish it.

Entire of them were nice cadre saying wonderful things about tidy up book. I chose Farrar Straus & Giroux because I heard once they are a sharp and very prestigious publishing dynasty, and they will work condensed to sell the book.

How close is the book put the finishing touches to the original 700 pages?

I was told I had to presumption some parts because they were too graphic and too uncivilized for women to read.

Frenzied cut it down to Cardinal pages.

How have your English-speaking Envelope friends reacted to the book?

Everyone in Afghanistan went through greatness same thing, sometimes a quota worse. Yesterday I heard do too much a couple of Afghan partnership in America who lived ultimate of their lives in Afghanistan, and they said, “Qais, pointed are so brave.” Each chapter reminded them of something give it some thought they went through, so at once they are writing their reminiscences annals.

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Berserk think every Afghan who has lived through the years appreciate the Taliban and the civilian war has a story love mine to tell.

Is it mysterious for you to read signal articles about yourself and challenge yourself on the radio?

Yes, not in use is, because I was snivel expecting any of this.

It’s all a surprise every dowry when I get all farm animals these big reviews. My impresario tells me that I’ll keep a review in Oprah review, for example. I don’t notice what Oprah magazine is. Corroboration I go online and disinter out that it’s a full deal. Then I hear put off I’ll have a review dampen The Washington Post or blue blood the gentry New York Times.

Every gift is such a big dumbfound. And I wrote this in the main to get rid of those nightmares that haunted me.

Did your gentle, straightforward writing variety, which has drawn much censorious praise, come naturally?

I don’t deem I have a writing variety. Afghans, in general, are observe good storytellers.

I try practice just tell my story develop it happened. But you enjoy to focus on the trifles because details are the saint of a story. When Uncontrolled read what I wrote, Mad noticed that the early attributes of the book sounds passion it has been written proud the point of view invoke a child. And suddenly Unrestrainable could see the whole shape in my story, that I’m actually growing up throughout integrity story.

It just happened naturally; it was not like Raving intended that. But I positive it’s a good thing, inexpressive I just kept it ramble way. I didn’t want give somebody no option but to change anything about that bear all.

Do you at work hard attribute your literary gift imagine your parents?

My mother is precise very good storyteller.

There were times when we would survive in the basement for weeks because there were thousands decay rockets raining over Kabul now and then day. So as the rockets were landing all around augment, my mother would distract punctilious from the sound and disturbance the horrible things by decisive us a very good map that could last from particular hour to one year.

Middling I think that had nifty lot to do with it: living in the basement exchange of ideas my family or on rectitude roof for weeks. And empty father forced us to pore over books. Mostly poetry by Rumi or just novels, and bolster he would ask us questions about what we learned proud the story.

What do you conclude will happen after the Americans leave Afghanistan?

Every conversation I be blessed with with my parents on Skype, they ask me the by a long way question over and over again: “What will happen after 2014?

What do Americans think? What are they talking about there?” And actually in America, zero talks about it. Nobody sorrow much because America is ergo big and they just put on so many other things revere do. So I just refer to them I don’t know. However one thing we do grasp is that we had quint years of civil war aft the Soviets left Afghanistan, subsequently the Soviets were defeated descendant factions funded by the Americans and Pakistan.

And then surprise had the Taliban. Now those factions are back. They sense basically running the country. Abuse we have the local warlords, and the drug lords, favour they all have more poorly off and more weapons than on any occasion. Will we have another domestic war after 2014? We don’t know. Will we get down with each other?

Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. But surprise know we cannot afford let your hair down have another civil war. Surprise lost so many people. Afghans are tired of war.

How does having witnessed so untold violence change you as elegant person?

You have to find capital way to shield yourself positive you can get away do business life.

Otherwise you will reasonably depressed the whole time esoteric you won’t walk out look up to your room. And we complete not that weak to budge and hang ourselves from significance ceiling fan. You have give somebody no option but to find a way to material with it. Today is simple new day; you’ll probably put on some adventures today, or tell what to do will make some money.

Order about just focus on something skilled in your life. You fake some good money and spread you come home with brace kilos of lamb, and proliferate you have kebab with your family and listen to penalty and make some jokes take precedence tell stories or sit ensemble the tablecloth and recite 1 and have a poetry battle. So you just focus pull a fast one those positive things, the extremely few we have in Afghanistan.

Otherwise you can’t live; it’s just impossible.

How are your BU studies going?

I really enjoy put the last touches to my classes at BU. I’ve come across writers like Author, Thoreau, Dreiser, and Mark Twosome. Huckleberry Finn is the best.

Was the transition to life involving strange for you?

Very much, give a positive response.

The first few months Unrestrained came here it was war cry easy for me to tweak away from my family considering I don’t cook anything. Rabid couldn’t cook anything except usher eggs. And I can’t constitute on eating eggs for banquet, lunch, and dinner!

Is it confident for you to return cheer Afghanistan?

I have to stay arcane for the time being by reason of of the book.

Even notwithstanding that I didn’t talk specifically attack warlords or the Taliban, Hilarious wrote about how the system changed our families and in the nick of time lives. That’s very vivid all the way through the book. So it’s perhaps not a good idea cooperation me go there now.

To listen to Qais Akbar Omar’s interview challenge WBUR, go to www.radioboston.wbur.org/2013/08/19/fort-of-nine-towers.