Afghanistan is a country that moved from nearly total obscurity in the American consciousness to center stage this fall. But as the media has covered the political instability and war-like history of the Arab nation, the rich cultural heritage of Afghanistan was largely ignored. This hour, we feature the interviews first aired during our series on Afghan literature from earlier this fall. From the ancient storytelling to the mystical writings of Rumi to modern writers reflecting on war, it’s an hour-long a look at the literary history of Afghanistan.

Guests:

Fevziya Barlas, Afghan woman poet;
Wali Ahmadi, Professor of Perisan Literature at the University of California at Berkeley;
William Beeman, Professor of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies at Brown University;
Margaret Mills, Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at The Ohio State University