Afghanistan Diary: 1992-2000 FROM THE PUBLISHER
Afghanistan Diary is a provocative introduction to the recent history of the troubled country since the Mujahideen capture of Kabul in 1992. Documentary photographer Edward Grazda witnessed firsthand this hugely transformative period in modern Afghan history, from the destruction of the capital city five years into a ruinous civil war between Mujahideen factions, to their defeat by the Pakistani-supported Taliban militia, whose radical interpretation of Islamic law--and its draconian enforcement--is unarguably the most extreme in the Islamic world. Photographer Edward Grazda's sharp, penetrating lens distills the simple beauty of the place and its people alongside the horror of state-sanctioned human rights abuses. Over the course of nine years, Grazda secured unprecedented access to the country through friends and ex-officials, in both Afghanistan and in the U.S., to document the profound changes there caused by the great differences between the moderate Mujahideen and their arch enemies, the Taliban. Grazda's grasp of Afghan history and culture create an explosive expos� of this outlaw nation.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Documentary photographer Grazda presents a pictorial introduction to the recent history of Afghanistan since the Mujahideen capture of Kabul in 1992. Through his sharp, penetrating lens, he reveals with fascinating b&w images what he witnessed first hand during this transformative period, from the destruction of the capital city into a ruinous civil war between the Mujahideen factions to their defeat by the Pakistani-supported Taliban militia, whose radical interpretation of Islamic law is the most extreme in the Islamic world. Also contains a chronology of modern Afghanistan and a summary of decrees. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Internet Book Watch
The Taliban of Afghanistan have forbidden and banned the taking of photographs of its citizens. This religion-based edict has been severely enforced since the mid 1990s. Edward Grazda's Afghanistan Diary: 1992-2000 is a photographic documentation of a people and a land torn by war, religious fanaticism, power politics, pandemic poverty, and the collapse of cultural, educational, political, and economic institutions. Grazda's powerful, gripping black-and-white photography and text are a stirring testament to the force and authority of an Islamic fundamentalism in total control of the daily life and functions of a battered people.
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