An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan

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Description

The best travel writing debut in years-an instant classic.Struck by the iniquity of a big country invading a small one, Jason Elliot went to Afghanistan to see what the Russians were doing. Not long out of school, he soon found himself living the life of mountain-bound guerrilla amongst the mujaheddin. He started in Kabul and, despite numerous warnings, made his way on horse-back into the tangle of mountains in the North; crossed the front line into Mazar; attempted a futile strike into the centre of the country; headed west by air to the fabled city of Herat, and ended up back in Kabul in time for a New Year's fancy dress party.Combining ancient recollections and anecdotes from Soviet veterans, practitioners of sufism, views on sacred art, the different types of antipersonnel mine, and Alexandrian medical practice 25 centuries after its arrival, Jason Elliot has written a remarkable travel book which brings the people and place of Afghanistan alive.

Reviews

'What raises the book to the level of a classic is its intensely personal meditation on the magic of unplanned adventure, of the pain and pleasure of pushing into the unknown. The whole book, like Elliots travels themselves, operated on this heightened level. * The Times *
Jason Elliot is that rare traveller who surrenders himself to people and places and this tale is a many-layered reconstruction of his experience . . . I am sure this book will soon be among the classics of travel -- Doris Lessing
An Unexpected Light is often unexpectedly funny and constantly perceptive, but it is also profound * New York Times *

Author Bio

Jason Elliot lives in London. This is his first book.