Three Women of Herat - Rambling Readers

Paperback, 280 pages

English language

Published March 25, 2022 by Eland Publishing.

ISBN:: 978-1-78060-197-7

(1 review)

In 1973, the Afghans still had a King who ruled from a palace in Kabul with his own resident court of musicians when Veronica set up home in Herat. This Afghan city sat close to the Persian frontier and was fully cognisant of its glorious history as the capital of a once vast Central Asian Empire. Veronica was not a casual traveler but a young musician married to a scholar. She was determined to make use of her time in Afghanistan and break out of the charmed circle of the expatriate academic and make real friendships with local women. The tentative story, the growth in these very different friendships, takes the reader into a rare, deep, and privileged insight into the hidden world of Afghan female society. This is more than enough to make this book remarkable, but it has an afterlife of its own. For a Communist coup, then …

In 1973, the Afghans still had a King who ruled from a palace in Kabul with his own resident court of musicians when Veronica set up home in Herat. This Afghan city sat close to the Persian frontier and was fully cognisant of its glorious history as the capital of a once vast Central Asian Empire. Veronica was not a casual traveler but a young musician married to a scholar. She was determined to make use of her time in Afghanistan and break out of the charmed circle of the expatriate academic and make real friendships with local women. The tentative story, the growth in these very different friendships, takes the reader into a rare, deep, and privileged insight into the hidden world of Afghan female society. This is more than enough to make this book remarkable, but it has an afterlife of its own. For a Communist coup, then the Russian invasion, a long guerrilla war of Resistance is followed by Civil War and the rise of the Taliban. Veronica was separated from her friends: feared the worst, sought to assist but was also aware that contact from a westerner could be lethal to them. Then a fragile peace allowed her to meet them again and pick up their stories. It is a most exceptional work, which reads like a novel. 'I was fascinated by this story of ordinary life before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The three women are remarkable and unforgettable, and the story of how the author gained their friendship is like a novel.' - Doris Lessing 'Three Women of Herat is a sensitive, knowledgeable and very moving account of an annihilated civilisation.' -The Sunday Times 'Her understanding of 'purdah' is certainly the most illuminating by any Western writer for a long time. It is in describing the rituals of the day-to-day life of these women that the author excels, all are minutely depicted with a ravishing eye for detail.' - Ahmed Rashid

3 editions

tomas0772@bookwyrm.social reviewed Three Women of Herat by Veronica Doubleday

A unique tale that reminds us of joy of living and the treasure of our traditions.

5 stars

I think I share a common conception, or misconception, of Afghanistan, a country that has always seemed distant, alien and mysterious to many of us, which is more likely to do with the climate there than anything else, yet, I find something in Afghanistan that is alluring, making me want to understand more than anything the people who live there. I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity to travel there, so I’m very thankful that Three Women of Herat, by Veronica Doubleday, has been republished by Eland to intrigue a new generation of readers.

The media’s image of women in Afghanistan is one where women are, essentially, forced to disappear, subjected to some of the worst levels of oppression, but was it always so? For many in the west, Islam is very much an ‘alien’ religion that doesn’t seem to fit with much of the society we’ve created for ourselves, …

I think I share a common conception, or misconception, of Afghanistan, a country that has always seemed distant, alien and mysterious to many of us, which is more likely to do with the climate there than anything else, yet, I find something in Afghanistan that is alluring, making me want to understand more than anything the people who live there. I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity to travel there, so I’m very thankful that Three Women of Herat, by Veronica Doubleday, has been republished by Eland to intrigue a new generation of readers.

The media’s image of women in Afghanistan is one where women are, essentially, forced to disappear, subjected to some of the worst levels of oppression, but was it always so? For many in the west, Islam is very much an ‘alien’ religion that doesn’t seem to fit with much of the society we’ve created for ourselves, however, in Afghanistan prior to the soviet invasion it would appear that Afghanistan was a much more liberal and open place to be.

Travelling with her musician husband, Veronica Doubleday travelled to Afghanistan from 1973-1977 to study the local music traditions. Making friends with three very different families Three Women of Herat shares not just their story, but the friendships that were created during their time there. Although one of the main aspects of the book is the musical traditions, it was these friendships that engaged me the most, for here were three very different families giving the reader a glimpse of their lives, and how life was in Afghanistan in the 1970s.

Although remaining very traditional, the three women, Mariam, Mother of Nebi and Shirin, all had very different lives, yes I was very surprised at the openness with which they greeted the author and welcomed her and her husband into their families, teaching them their ways and traditions and about their music, their loves and their family life. In the story of their daily lives that is revealed throughout the book, we’re not just given a glimpse in to life in Afghanistan, but a more liberal Islam in Afghanistan of which many people may not have been previously aware.

Three Women of Herat though is not exploitative in any way, the lives of these families are written with the love and respect that is felt on every page of this fascinating book, and serves to educate not just those with academic interests in Religion (such as myself), but also anyone interested in a life outside of their own.

On reading Three Women of Herat, I did become intrigued by what Afghan music actually sounds like, as a sound I hadn’t heard before, and after reading the story of Shirin (renowned Afghan musician Zaineb Harawi) I had to do a little exploring and discovered online clips, so I could feel even more a part of the book.

I wanted to read Three Women of Herat for my own education experience, but I came away with so much more. Written with the warmth and love that is felt within each of the relationships contained within the book, I felt a part of that world, able to visualise somewhat life in Herat during the 1970s, and this is a testament to the warmth of the writing, which embraces the reader and invites us in, not just to bang a drum but drink tea with these wonderful people.

Three Women of Herat is a step into a hidden world, that although lost to us now, remains an image to a unique group of people whose daily lives can remind us of joy of living and the treasure of our traditions.

Subjects

Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -
True Stories
c 1970 to c 1980
c 1980 to c 1990
c 1990 to c 2000
Women's Studies - General
Biography/Autobiography
Biography & Autobiography
Gender Studies
Adventurers & Explorers
Asia - Central Asia
History / Asia / Central Asia
Women
Afghanistan
Case studies
Herat
Social conditions