How two newborns of rival ethnicities became a symbol of peace in Afghanistan.
The Storyteller of Kabul
In a true story far from today’s unflattering experiences in Afghanistan, the author, Khalil Nouri, brings to life the events and circumstances from the late 1800s when an ethnic Pashtun named Hashim resented the oppression against the minority ethnic Hazaras and Shiites as he showed his moral courage by giving them his helping hand to bring peace and tranquility until he died at 110 in 1962.
In 1932, he offered his sincere benevolence to raise an eight-year-old, motherless Hazara boy, Yawar, whose father, Malik Sayed Mohammad, had been wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of a child. Eventually, Yawar grew up to be a man in Hashim’s household and then married his bride, who shared her breast milk for both her son, Jafar, and Khaled, Hashim's grandson, from an elite Pashtun family whose mother lacked milk. Despite the risk of adverse consequences, Hashim favored a minatory Hazara family and Shiites. However, Yawar’s grandsons and their families live happily in Europe and Canada today.
Hashim initially narrates the story, and after his death, Khaled unfolds the remaining events as he grew up with Jafar-like brothers in the same house in Kabul.
In “The Storyteller of Kabul,” the author explores how past Afghan generations used their social skills to remarkably unify Afghanistan’s fragile, multiethnic society for over a century, highlighting figures like Hashim.
Also, “The Storyteller of Kabul” demonstrates Nouri’s profound understanding of the missing pieces for a vital unification of today’s delicate Afghan society, historical realities, and an awareness that could positively shape Afghanistan as it once was.
Storytelling was a way to see the world bigger than the one you were looking at, and that had great appeal for me. I think, since that was part of my upbringing, it became part of me, and I wanted to pass it along to my kids and my grandkids. .
About Hashim the main character in "The Storyteller of Kabul."
The gift of storytelling is inherent; it’s something you possess or don’t. Style, however, is partly learned through observation, listening, reading, and practice. Hashim, the main character in "The Storyteller of Kabul," has it all. He was raised in an ancient culture that used the storytelling tradition to pass on memories from one generation to the next. He completely captured the attention and interest of his audience by weaving a narrative that was so engaging, emotionally resonant, and well-crafted that they felt fully immersed in the story, often connecting deeply with the characters and themes. Indeed, Hashim was a potent storyteller.
