The Wandering Falcon

(Paperback)

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Description

The 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 '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 'Shocking. 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 '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 'Brilliantly evokes the harshness of nomadic life. Chilling.' Metro 'authentic and poetic.' The Times 'Astonishing.' Independent

Reviews

Brilliantly evokes the harshness of nomadic life. Chilling. * Metro *
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 * Guardian *
Authentic and poetic * The Times *
Mesmerising * The Times *
Superb. The work of a gifted story teller who has lived in the world of his fiction, and who offers his readers rare insight, wisdom and - above all - pleasure -- Mohsin Hamid * - *
A wonderful debut * The Economist *

Author Bio

Jamil Ahmad began his career in the region in the 1950s, and was an official in the Pakistani embassy in Kabul at the time of the Soviet invasion in 1979. He was encouraged to write by his wife Helga, who painstakingly typed the handwritten manuscript on a typewriter with German keys. He lives in Islamabad, Pakistan.