A Night in the Emperor's Garden by Qais Akbar Omar

A Night in the Emperor's Garden by Qais Akbar Omar

In 2005, a group of Afghan actors endeavored to create an unusual dramatic performance--one that would bring theater to a region wounded after years of war with the Taliban and offer hope for healing. "A Night in the Emperor's Garden" is the captivating account of their resulting play and a rich exploration of the region's culture. In preparation, for five months, the group tirelessly reworked Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's Lost" into their own Dari language while the members brought their own experiences to the interpretation. One actor was a police detective and widow determined to create images of strong women. Another had trained at Kabul University before fleeing to Pakistan as a refugee. A third had played the title role in the acclaimed film "Osama," yet was a beggar who could barely read and write. Joined by a French actress who served as director and several other enthusiasts, these actors performed before royalty and street vendors alike for one night amid the ruins of a magnificent garden laid out five centuries earlier by Emperor Babur. For the first time in thirty years, men and women stood on stage together as they worked toward a new era in Afghanistan. Qais Akbar Omar and Stephen Landrigan, both involved in the production, have captured its exuberance and optimism along with the actors' joys and sorrows in the decade following the play. Revealing a side of Afghanistan largely unknown to outsiders, "A Night in the Emperor's Garden" tells the magical story of an artistic achievement with universal appeal.

"The story is alternately funny, poignant, and inspiring, providing a glimpse into another Afghanistan"--Jean MacKenzie

Qais Akbar Omar is the author of "A Fort of Nine Towers," which has been published in over twenty languages, and has written for the "New York Times" and the "Atlantic." A graduate of the creative writing program at Boston University, he is currently a Scholars at Risk fellow at Harvard University. Stephen Landrigan is a playwright and former journalist for the "Washington Post" and BBC Radio. He lives in Massachusetts, where he tends a small orchard near Boston.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781910376126
ISBN 10	1910376124
Title	A Night in the Emperor's Garden
Author	Qais Akbar Omar
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Haus Publishing
Year published	2015-08-12
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.