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An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan Kindle Edition

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Jason Elliot (Author)
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Jason Elliot (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 72 customer reviews
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Length: 491 pages Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Product Details

  • File Size: 1746 KB
  • Print Length: 491 pages
  • Publisher: Picador; 2 edition (August 2, 2011)
  • Publication Date: August 2, 2011
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00B8SBXQS
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray:
  • Word Wise: Not Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,477 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsAfghanistan's Conscience in the West
By Daniel J. Rose on October 2, 2000
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Of the currently posted reviews, it is interesting that they either rate this book at the top or at the bottom of the rating scale. This is a sign that the book elicits much more comment on the reviewer's state of mind than on the book itself. My review will be no different.
While I second those who extoll the book's poetry and its vivid portrayal of the Afghan land and culture, to me the real value of the book lies in its deepest appeal to the conscience (or lack of conscience) in the reader. Mr. Elliot's report is unique in that it covers two or three visits that he undertook that span the time during and after the Soviet war, just prior to Taleban occupation of Kabul and the roughly 90% of Afghanistan that it occupies today.
During this time, under extremely difficult circumstances, Mr. Elliot had access to people and places that would shortly be cut off and, in many cases, destroyed during the ensuing Taleban onslaught. The result, both of the circumstances and Mr. Elliot's reporting on them, is a tale filled with longing--a longing for some of what is, much of what was and has been lost, and what may never be recovered, an innocence and deeply human sympathy ravaged by the cynicism of the world.
Afghanistan was never an easy place to live, but it was long a place where humanity reigned supreme in the daily lives of common people. Some have called it the height of civilization, low-tech though it was. It had long been the seat of a kind of basic (and advanced) hospitality that has been all but lost, though much imitated, in much of the rest of the world. Elliot's deep love and intimate knowledge of these people and the remaining remnants of their culture informs every page of his vivid account.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsLike Newby, Murphy, Asher, Thesiger? Then here's your man!
By Richard L. Wilson on July 24, 2000
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
An extraordinary book that transcends the bounds of travelogue and gives us deep and personal insight into one of the most the world's most inaccessible regions. Elliot's Afghan friends and travel companions convey, in the midst of the grief and difficulty of war, an enviable warmth and humor that has made the country a favorite of travelers for decades before the Soviet invasion. There are many hair raising trips in overloaded trucks over vertiginous mountain passes, lavish descriptions of ruins seldom seen by westerners, and intriguing historical facts from this crossroads of peoples for the traveler, adventurer and historian. Elliot writes from the heart and out of love for the Afghan people and land and this shines through on every page more than any such book I've read since Thesiger's Arabian Sands (and upon inspection, even Thesiger's motives begin to seem cloudy compared with Elliott's affection and respect for his subjects). You will put this book down with a profound respect for the Afghan people and immense desire to visit this land... I cannot recommend this book highly enough - if you read it you will soon find yourself searching through old travel guides and looking for a way to travel the roads of Afghanistan first hand.
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4.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding
By A. Ross HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on July 25, 2001
Format: Hardcover
Afghanistan's current inaccessibility to Westerners presents a paradox of sorts: on the one hand, travelogues have a long tradition of providing armchair portraits of countries and people not easy visited, and on the other hand, in extreme cases such as contemporary Afghanistan, the difficulties in moving into and around such a country make such travelogues all the rarer. We should be therefore be grateful for this book, in which Jason Elliot recounts his travels and impressions from a trip made in 1979 as a teenager, and a trip 20 years later when he had learned Persian. It's a very traditional and endearing piece of travel literature, full of evocative descriptions of the sights and sounds, and most importantly, the people. While the book has plenty of the other usual travelogue elements-detailed descriptions of perilous trips in overstuffed decrepit vehicles, beautiful descriptions of obscure but astonishing ancient ruins, digestible tidbits of history, and asides of longing for unattainable women-the book's greatest value comes from Elliot's sensitive treatment of the Afghans he meets and befriends. Far from being the religious totalitarianists commonly associated with the country, virtually everyone he meets-almost every one of whom is male-is unstintingly curious, tough, enduring, and most of all, warmly hospitable. When he does encounter the Taliban, he notes how other Afghans warily regard them as powerful outsiders, with no constituency save themselves. Indeed, Elliot, writing in 1999, seems to scoff at the notion of them ever controlling the entire country, as their brand of Islam is so at odds with the forms widely practiced in Afghanistan over history.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn Unexpected Delight!
By Ben Fried on July 17, 2001
Format: Hardcover
Mr. Elliot, obviously, is well connected in contemporary Afghan circles, both outside and inside Afghanistan. This fact enabled and encouraged him to travel in a most unusual and remote country during a most difficult and turbulent era. The author did not travel on a preplanned itinerary but from the start surrendered, instead, to encounters and events. This underlying current gives the account much of its unique quality and realism. The book is richly strewn with delightful coinages, penetrating insights sensitive observations, humor, historical and other intriguing information and descriptions. The, included, short introduction to Sufism is quite good. Puts Afghanistan and its people on the map. Erudite. A gripping and moving account of people and places entangled in the web of war-time meshed with the author personal inner-journey. A tribute to the human spirit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsUnexpected Light on A'stan

This is much more than a "travel book"! I liked it so much that I bought this copy after my vet stole my copy I loaned her (she moved out of state with it). Read more

Published 16 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsRecomend

Interesting

Published 20 months ago by Irina Dehzad
5.0 out of 5 starsA must-read for all travel lovers

It was almost with a heavy heart that I finished the last chapter in Jason Elliot’s “An Unexpected Light”. Read more

Published on November 19, 2013 by Radiah
4.0 out of 5 starsAn unexpected light

An unexpected light is also the perfect description of the way this book is written. It is beautiful to read; thought provoking and gently stimulating.

Published on September 1, 2012 by mirium
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It's a love story about the love of people and their country. I got it for Christmas in 2001 and jumped right into it. Read more

Published on May 4, 2012 by D. Smith
5.0 out of 5 starsA magnificent portrayal of Afghanistan

I traveled through Afghanistan in the 1970's and have never found anything written by a Westerner that captured the complexity and haunting beauty of Afghanistan the way this book... Read more

Published on February 22, 2012 by cam
4.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book, unique perspective

Elliot saw Afghanistan during a few visits over a period of years when huge changes were occurring. He had greater nerve than most travelers to the country and this allowed him to... Read more

Published on February 12, 2012 by Scott Madsen
5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating

The first I ever really learned of Afghanistan was when our country went to war in Afghanistan. Ever since, I've been yearning to learn more about the country, the people, the... Read more

Published on October 30, 2011 by Lindy Mathisen
4.0 out of 5 starsLiving the backpacker's dream

Jason Elliott lives the backpacker's dream in Afghanistan, with adventures both harrowing and humorous. Read more

Published on September 28, 2011 by Autumn Sun
5.0 out of 5 starsmy favorite book of all time

incredibly vivid wordplay made it very easy to picture, smell, taste, and feel the writings of Jason Elliot. Read more

Published on June 23, 2011 by Gabriel J. Reed

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