A Fort of Nine Towers - Rilegato

"I know of no other book in which the complex realities of life - and death - in contemporary Afghanistan are so starkly and intimately portrayed. This brave memoir, rich in tough humour and insight, recounts an insider's view into both the suffering and integrity of an uncompromisingly proud and courageous people; above all, it is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary tenacity of a culture which foreigners have repeatedly and fatally misjudged." Jason Elliot, author of An Unexpected Light and Mirrors of the Unseen

'The first true life memoir of growing up in Kabul, this is both a magical and a chilling book which conveys the strength of family in truly terrible times. Definitely on my recommend list for 2013.' Christina Lamb

'Afghan author Qais Akbar Omar’s story tugs at the heartstrings yet it is not maudlin or sentimental, only nostalgic and deeply evocative of his way of life . . . His moving story will broaden your focus and understanding of an oft-maligned country.' The Chronicle

'Qais Akbar Omar’s tale of one family’s journey during the Afghan civil war is inscriptional: its images carve themselves into the reader’s mind . . . This book is essential reading for anyone eager to learn what more than three decades of war have cost the Afghan people.' Eliza Griswold, author of the New York Times bestseller The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam

'Foreigners rarely penetrate the rich cultural depths of Afghanistan. Here at last is a powerful, haunting memoir that does justice to its tough, tenacious and astonishingly good-humoured people. The best thing about it . . . is that it is a book about Afghanistan written by an Afghan.' Evening Standard

'In this stark, unflinching memoir, Qais Akbar Omar illuminates the beauty and tragedy of a country pushed to the brink by war. A Fort of Nine Towers gives voice to the unbreakable spirit of the Afghan people.' G. Willow Wilson, author of Alif the Unseen

'A story of a supportive family surviving against unbelievable odds.' Illawarra Mercury

'Qais Akbar Omar reminds us of the honor and courage of his people. A remarkable feat of memory and imagination.' Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya, author of The Watch and The Storyteller of Marrakesh

'As lyrical as it is haunting, this mesmerizing, not-to-be-missed debut memoir is also a loving evocation of a misunderstood land and people . . . A gorgeously rich tapestry of an amazing life and culture.' Kirkus, starred review

'Omar’s prose is deliciously forthright, extravagant, and somewhere mischievous, and very Afghan in its sense of long-suffering endurance and also reconciliation.' Publishers Weekly

'The story of Qais's family and their remarkable survival . . . As he shares this long journey, through terror, loss, heartbreak, and sudden moments of joy, Qais's spirit still shines.' Queensland Times

'This is a book for those who love Afghanistan, for those who want to understand it, or simply for those who value deeply the best in the human spirit. It is a tale that deserves to rank with The Kite Runner.' Ronald E. Neumann, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and president of the American Academy of Diplomacy

'Omar's beautifully written book is an affecting account of survival in the midst of brutality and fear, and a testament to the importance of family and friendships in a place where neighbours turned on neighbours.' Sunday Times

'Qais Akbar Omar's memoir sets out . . . to show us the ordinary Afghanistan as well as the horror . . . Yet for all the horrors he has seen and the loved ones he has lost, there is no desire for vengeance in this account, only a profound stoicism.'
--The Times

"Hosseini's bestseller led to a slow trickle of stories that revealed Afghanistan from the inside, including his most recent novel, And the Mountains Echoed, while Qais Akbar Omar, an Afghan journalist and carpet maker, makes this the mission of his memoir, A Fort of Nine Towers: 'Over the past four decades, many books about Afghanistan have been written - mostly by foreigners - but none have explained how Afghanistan has held itself together'."
--Independent, Book of the Week

"[this] extraordinary, harrowing memoir . . . the best thing about it is that it is a book about Afghanistan written by an Afghan."
--Evening Standard

"Throughout the book Qais' tone is measured and courtly, even when describing his most grisly recollections"
--The Times, Saturday Review

"Omar's beautifully written book is an affecting account of survival in the midst of brutality and fear, and a testament to the important of family and friendships in a place where neighbours turned on neighbours"
--The Sunday Times, Culture

"Qais Akbar Omar, an Afghan journalist and carpet-maker . . . conjures alarming images with a child's clarity: his father driving the family to safety as dead bodies sprawl by the roadside: a pit of decapitated human heads . . . his father tied up and viciously bitten for the amusement of a warlord."
--Independent

With all the emotional power of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, this is the very first true life account of growing up in Afghanistan.