This month we present writing from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is known to most English-language readers in a strictly political context, and much of what is said and written about Afghanistan in the West comes from an outside perspective. Yet we can best appreciate this country and culture through the eyes of its writers. We hope that the writing in this issue, with its focus on individual lives both on and off the battlefield, will provide a more nuanced view from which to consider this country and its culture.

This collection of writing translated from Dari and Pashto evokes the current situation with clarity and immediacy.  Mohammad Hussain Mohammadi’s wrenching “Dasht-e Leili” tells the story of the infamous massacre from the viewpoints of soldiers on both sides of the battle. Zalmay Babakoh’s “Idol’s Dust” turns the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas  into sly revenge. Asef Soltanzadah’s “To Arrive” follows an elderly Afghan on a disorienting, chaotic journey to reunite with his émigré son in Denmark.  Pir Mohammad Karwan’s crazed paranoic heads for the hills, while Mahmud Marhun’s martyr finds himself in an unexpected place.  Parvin Faiz  Zadah Malal and Khan Mohammed Sind portray the harsh poverty of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. And the poets Zahra Hosseinzadeh, Qanbar Ali Tabesh, and Aman Mirzai speak of life among Afghan exiles in Iran. We thank guest editor Anders Widmark for his selections, translations, and contextual introduction.