"Afghanistan has a rich and ancient tradition of epic poetry celebrating resistance to foreign invasion and occupation. This extraordinary collection is remarkable as a literary project--uncovering a seam of war poetry few will know ever existed, and presenting to us for the first time the black
turbaned Wilfred Owens of Wardak. But it is also an important political project: humanising and giving voice to the aspirations, aesthetics, emotions and dreams of the fighters of a much-caricatured and still little-understood resistance movement that is about to defeat yet another foreign
occupation."--William Dalrymple, author of The Last Mughal and the forthcoming The Return of a King: Shah Shuja and the First Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42

"These are poems of love and war and friendship and tell us more about Afghanistan than a million news reports. Anybody claiming to be an Afghan expert should read this book before giving their next opinion."--Muhammed Hanif, author of A Case of Exploding Mangoes and Our Lady of Alice Bhatti

"Much of the poetry here appeals to the heart rather than the head, engendering sympathy for the speakers' plight. That these poems put us in this uncomfortable place is the most impressive achievement of the anthology."--Daljit Nagra, The Guardian

"There is much shock and some awe in this mixed collection, and the editors are to be applauded for beginning 'our' education in this troubled and troubling literature."--Times Higher Education

"The verse assembled in Poetry of the Taliban is by turns bombastic and introspective, dark and mirthful, ugly and lyrical--and perhaps above all, surprising in its unabashedly emotional tone."--Los Angeles Times

"A highly original and extremely important book which by making the Taliban's poems available in English arguably sheds more light on the Taliban and its resilience than could any organisational chart or force assessment. More significantly, it draws attention to the crucial role that aesthetics and
emotions--as opposed to resources and doctrines--play in military organizations. As such, this may be the first poetry book of strategic significance."--Thomas Hegghammer, author of Jihad In Saudi Arabia and co-author of Al-Qaida in its Own Words

"This is an essential work...In compiling The Poetry of the Taliban, these young scholars have preserved the intimate and the expansive, ranging from pastoral imagery of the Afghan countryside, to satire on global politics and rich references to Afghan, Muslim and biblical history. In the process
they go beyond humanising the Taliban towards understanding them. The same Taliban, known to the world as cultural morons, turn out to have inspired a corpus of poetry which links to the finest civilisational accomplishments of Pashto, Farsi, Urdu and Arabic...If anyone still wonders on which
cultural resources the Taliban drew to inspire a people to resist a dull global plan to modernise them, read on."--Michael Semple, Harvard University and former EU representative in Afghanistan

"These poems expose something of the full, textured, deeply conflicted humanity of those who actively consume and recirculate them, those who may be insurgents at the same time they are humans. In providing such a picture, the 'insurgent' is restored a sense of humanity, and agency, and thus even
(as the editors note) an accountability for violence that would be impossible to expect from a mere avatar."--Dr. James Caron, University of Pennsylvania

"A remarkable and important book that reveals a hitherto concealed side to the harshly perceived Afghan Taliban. In Poetry of the Taliban, we see that within the movement there are warriors who have wounded hearts, lyrical souls, and a passionate love of language and ideas."--Jon Lee Anderson,
author of The Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan

"By turn angry, idealistic, or cynically witty, these Taliban poets can leave none unmoved by verse that conjures up Persian metaphysics, Muslim traditions and a Pashtun quest for honour. Indeed, as enemies' triumphs and ruination in their mountain homeland tests these mujahedin's faith in God, some
even echo the shock, sense of betrayal and despair of Britain's First World War poets."--Hugh Pope, author of Dining with al-Qaeda and Sons of the Conquerors

"A brave and useful project...offers a perspective on the conflict through the Other's eyes, something worth more than a library full of cold analysis."--Robin Yassin-Kassab in The Guardian

Alex Strick van Linschoten is a researcher and writer permanently based in Kandahar. He has worked in Afghanistan since 2006, focusing on the Taliban insurgency and the history of southern Afghanistan over the past four decades. His research extends to other Muslim countries and is a regular
commentator on major western news channels.

Felix Kuehn is a researcher and writer permanently based in Kandahar. He has worked in Afghanistan since 2006, focusing on the Taliban insurgency and the history of southern Afghanistan over the past four decades.