Located in a lawless Afghanistan, this novel follows in the footsteps of Crime and Punishment

As its title indicates,

a curse on Dostoyevsky

to talk with the great Russian writer, especially

Crime and punishment

. Instead of St. Petersburg, the action takes place in Kabul. (Atiq Rahimi was born in Kabul, but divides his time between France and Afghanistan). Raskolnikov becomes Rassoul, while in the place where we Rassoul girlfriend Sonia Sophie. The work of the detective Porfiry is performed by several commanders and militiamen. The murder victim is, as Dostoevsky, a lender and patron and mistress. Possible reasons are Sophia save their claws, theft and justice.

The text justifies its relation to how Dostoevsky novel. "This is the most read book in Afghanistan, a country rich in mysticism above, where people have lost the sense of responsibility" Murder the lender releases a survey on crime and punishment (and the law and illegality , sacrifice and revenge) in Afghan society. Dostoevsky said that if God did not exist, everything is permitted. However, in Afghanistan, there is no God to avoid sin, but to justify them. Sofia's father poisoned the Director of National Archives of counterfeit alcohol, punishment for selling documents to the Russians. "These days," he said, "any idiot thinks he can take the law into their own hands, without the investigation and trial. Since then." (The setting seems to be the result of the Russians and the Taliban before, when the Islamist war lords fought for power.)

According to the logic of the novel, currency Rasul - "I'd rather be a killer of a traitor" - could also be in Afghanistan: "You can kill, rape, robbery ... is important not to betray. not betray God, his clan, his country, his friend. . "However, the pages of art with traitors, real or perceived, who abandon their friends by ideology or material gain There are some beautiful dark keys: an old man who has committed his gold teeth five times they lost in the chaos of a rocket attack. There are changes in time and narrative perspective, memories, dreams and illusions. scorpions Men smoke when they run the hash. There is even a symbolic donkey.

But everything is useless, not fully justifying their relationship to Dostoevsky. His hesitations make it seem a minor work in the shadow of the great flattery. The reader sympathizes with the commander when Parwaiz calls. "Stop thinking that you are the character Dostoevsky, please"

Rassoul finally presented, and not after prolonged psychodrama - which is subject to a sustained process of self-examination or moral or philosophical analysis - but irresponsible. In a change of Dostoevsky and Kafka, too, can not convince the judicial system to punish him for the murder. Instead, he is punished for possession of Russian books, the new masters of the supposedly communist country.

This may be the point, as the curse of silence that two-thirds of the book (important, his name means "messenger" or "prophet"): a review of Joyce importance reduction become prosaic epic, tragedy repeats itself as farce. And it may be a particularly good point for a country that has suffered everything twice - at least two ideologies and many foreign occupations

We suggest a> readers looking for a new look at Dostoevsky reading JM Coetzee

The Master of Petersburg
. Those looking for interesting novels Afghans may wish to test two early works Rahimi, whose goal Goncourt winner
patience stone



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