by Members of MWN Hub Book Club

Much has been written about the struggles of Afghan women living under the Taliban rule.  We see in the news coverage and read in articles about the forms of oppression they experience daily. However, despite the continued restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls, there is an undercurrent of quiet activism advocating for their rights. This comes in forms of informal networks of solidarity, running microenterprises from home, campaigns protesting and exposing Taliban’s crimes against humanity.

 

The anthology, My Pen is the Wing of a Bird written by Afghan women celebrates resistance in form of literature. The tenacity of the female writers to be uncensored in their writing demonstrates courage to speak up and against a despotic regime. These writers had responded to the call to be part of the Write Afghanistan - a project that aimed to build a virtual community network for unheard writers. Since the Taliban came back in power in August 2021 imposing more restrictions on women and girls, reading their narratives is ever more relevant. When we read their stories, it gives light to their voices, it ensures their story matters.

 

It was the backstory of how the anthology came to be, that led to this book being chosen. After a short break, members of MWN Hub book club came to together this month to share their views on how they found it.

 

Aida’s review:

As an Afghan diaspora, reading My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird felt deeply personal. The collection carried a bittersweet weight, I sometimes found myself in wonder, absorbing the beauty, honesty, and emotion in each story, while other pieces left me feeling profoundly inspired. There was a sense of both pain and hope running through the book, reminding me of the resilience that exists within Afghan women, despite generations of hardship and silence.

 

What moved me most was the courage of these writers. These stories do not shy away from topics that are often hushed or brushed under the carpet in Afghan society: identity, gender, freedom, trauma, and the realities of womanhood. To see Afghan women speak so openly and unapologetically through literature felt incredibly empowering. Their words challenge expectations held for generations and create space for conversations that often feel uncomfortable.

 

As part of the diaspora, this book also felt like a bridge. It connected me to voices and experiences that are very much absent from mainstream narratives about Afghanistan. Rather than portraying Afghan women only through suffering, the writers reclaim their own stories with strength, intelligence, and humanity. As the book beautifully shows literature becomes more than storytelling, it becomes an act of resistance and resilience.

 

What makes this anthology so powerful is that it is women leading the change. Through creative writing, these writers are standing up for their rights, preserving their voices, and inspiring future generations to do the same.

 

My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird is not only a beautiful collection of writing, but also an important reminder of the power of art and courage.

 

Fayaz’s review:

To me, the title reflects how the authors celebrated their freedom to express, showing the sky had no limits for their accounts - inspiring!

 

Being short, the stories had to be abrupt, to the point, maybe reflecting how life sometimes feels in an unpredictable environment. I had to read the book in stages, so that I could reflect and heal from some of the intense narratives.

 

Despite the battering Afghanistan has been through, be it the wars, restrictions at domestic and national levels, the stories have shown these authors transcending such barriers to tell their stories, rather than sweep them under the carpet. In doing so, I feel it gives encouragement and a green light to those hesitant to step out.

 

By exposing and voicing the experiences of the women in the stories, I feel that it acts to embolden others to take control, as they realise they are not alone, giving them confidence to fight for their rights. Certainly shown in, A Common Language by Fatema Haidari. In this story the girls stood up to their abusive boss, sacrificing their jobs in order to support one another. A prime example of how suppression can often make you more determined to achieve your aims and dare you to challenge it!

 

One story I found particularly heavy and traumatic, was, Daughter Number Eight by Freshta Ghani. It haunts me, as I can’t get the picture of the main character pouring boiling milk over herself at the end when her limit had been reached. She must have felt so tired and rejected after having her eighth child, not the son her husband was hoping for, only to return home to find he is celebrating his marriage to a second wife!

 

I found as I read through some of the stories, I was never quite relaxed as they sometimes had a disturbing twist at the end.

 

I feel pleased that there is this underlying army of writers who are breaking free and showing they are a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, this will bring about changes that are beneficial for themselves, other women, men and hopefully their country as a whole.

These stories do not shy away from topics that are often hushed or brushed under the carpet in Afghan society: identity, gender, freedom, trauma, and the realities of womanhood.

Rizwana’s review:

My Pen is the Wing of a Bird: New fiction by Afghan women is a powerful collection of short stories that holds together themes of identity, resistance, loss and hope through Afghan women’s voices. At its heart, it shows how writing becomes both resistance and release.

 

The collection keeps returning to two questions:

• What do Afghan women want?
• Who speaks for Afghan women?

There is no single answer here and that feels intentional - reflecting the complexity and diversity of Afghan women’s lived experiences.

 

Across the stories, there is a quiet but constant thread of silent desperation, constrained lives and a longing for freedom. Many of the narratives sit within systems shaped by patriarchal control - what I noted as the “main culprit: the system of men”.

 

Yet even within constraint, there is persistence. Hope appears again and again, fragile but necessary - almost “like love” in its ability to sustain resistance and connection. Despite silence, loss and fragmentation, the collection holds onto survival, solidarity and the need to be heard. The contributors have either chosen to share their names or remain anonymous for safety reasons, reflecting the very real risks Afghan women writers face in speaking publicly through their work.

 

Umma’s review:

The title, My Pen is the Wing of a Bird truly captures the spirit of the short stories. Each story gives flight to the written words. Lyse Doucet who wrote the introduction to this anthology effectively summarises impact from reading those stories ‘so many sentences will give you pause.’

 

The stories are concise, each holding its own power in delivering deeply moving glimpses into the daily lives of Afghan women. Because of their shorter length, it evokes intense reactions. There are some stories that are emotionally distressing and others uplifting. The two that stayed with me: A Common Language and The Most Beautiful Lips in the World.  In A Common Language, the three women who stood up against sexual harassment at work portrays female empowerment and resilience. Whereas, The Most Beautiful Lips in the World was an absolute tearjerker for it highlighted the vulnerability and manipulation of young girls being forced to commit heinous acts. 

 

My Pen is the Wing of a Bird should be read widely. It’s literature on resilience and resistance empowers Afghan women, and ensures their voices are not forgotten.

 *MWN Hub Book Club is held every four months, if you would like to be part of it, please email member@mwnhub.com.