Atiq Rahimi

DATES April 22 _ May 2nd ------

Born in in 1962,

Atiq Rahimi fled to in

1984 to escape the Soviet coup.

There he has made a name as a

writer and filmmaker of exceptional note. He has been

heavily involved in Afghan cultural life since the offensive,

particularly in the creation of a “Writers’ House” in .

He now lives in . The winner of France’s prestigious Goncourt Prize for 2008,

and set in modern-day Afghanistan, his latest book, The Patience Stone, is an explosive, controversial and moving short novel, with a shocking twist. It takes a

compelling literary look behind the veil, daring to confront taboos of female oppression and sexuality.

Selected works

The Patience Stone, Chatto & Windus, 2010 (Syngué sabour, P.O.L., 2008)

A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear, Chatto & Windus, 2006 (Les mille maisons du rêve et de la terreur, P.O.L., 2002)

Le Retour imaginaire, P.O.L., (2005)

Earth and Ashes, Random House, 2003 (Terre et cendres, P.O.L, 2000)

“AUTHORS ON TOUR” PROGRAM – Marine Aubry, tel: 212 439 1447, [email protected]

About The Patience Stone: Sang-E-Saboor (Chatto & Windus, Jan. 2010)

A young woman sits at her husband’s bedside, twisting her worry beads, reciting prayers. Shot in the neck by a fellow soldier, he is in a coma. The passage of time is measured by the sound of his breathing, the slow drip that keeps him alive and the calls to prayer in the streets outside. Consumed by her vigil and his medical care, the

woman is alone and desperate for any sign of life from her comatose husband. As her mind

appears to unravel, it actually becomes intensely clear-sighted. Now is her chance to speak without

being censored. Empowered by her husband’s

silence she steps out of the shadows of convention and repression and begins

her confessional... She pours out her love and her hate, her sexual desires and

her hopes, as though to the black patience stone of Persian mythology (which takes in your sins and woes, and eventually shatters... leaving you delivered of pain and suffering). Finally, spurred to new heights of daring, she spills out her most explosive secret.

Conferences in English or in French

Atiq Rahimi will be presenting his recent works, during the 2010 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature held in New York City.

“AUTHORS ON TOUR” PROGRAM – Marine Aubry, tel: 212 439 1447, [email protected]