M. Hassan Kakar
Afghanistan
The Soviet Invasion and the Afghan Response, 1979-1982
$26.95, £18.95 paperback
9780520208933
Available Now
392 pages
August 1995, Available worldwide
August 1995, Available worldwide
Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan than M. Hassan Kakar. A professor at Kabul University and scholar of Afghanistan affairs at the time of the 1978 coup d'état, Kakar vividly describes the events surrounding the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the encounter between the military superpower and the poorly armed Afghans. The events that followed are carefully detailed, with eyewitness accounts and authoritative documentation that provide an unparalleled view of this historical moment.
Because of his prominence Kakar was at first treated with deference by the Marxist government and was not imprisoned, although he openly criticized the regime. When he was put behind bars the outcry from scholars all over the world possibly saved his life. In prison for five years, he continued collecting information, much of it from prominent Afghans of varying political persuasions who were themselves prisoners.
Kakar brings firsthand knowledge and a historian's sensibility to his account of the invasion and its aftermath. This is both a personal document and a historical one—Kakar lived through the events he describes, and his concern for human rights rather than party politics infuses his writing. As Afghans and the rest of the world try to make sense of Afghanistan's recent past, Kakar's voice will be one of those most listened to.
Because of his prominence Kakar was at first treated with deference by the Marxist government and was not imprisoned, although he openly criticized the regime. When he was put behind bars the outcry from scholars all over the world possibly saved his life. In prison for five years, he continued collecting information, much of it from prominent Afghans of varying political persuasions who were themselves prisoners.
Kakar brings firsthand knowledge and a historian's sensibility to his account of the invasion and its aftermath. This is both a personal document and a historical one—Kakar lived through the events he describes, and his concern for human rights rather than party politics infuses his writing. As Afghans and the rest of the world try to make sense of Afghanistan's recent past, Kakar's voice will be one of those most listened to.
"An account of what happened in Afghanistan—in the cities, villages, schools, refugee camps, and prisons where the author spent five years . . . [which] sheds great light on the violence that has continued long after the last Soviet soldier left."—Foreign Affairs
"One of Afghanistan's most distinguished scholars, a British-trained historian, has made a significant contribution to the record of the Communist period in his tortured homeland."—Russian Review
"[A] sophisticated analysis. From Kakar the true horror of this unfortunate conflict is revealed."—Library Journal
"Historical records of this period are undoubtedly enriched by Kakar's work, based on his personal journal. Indeed, a considerable portion of his research was conducted from 1982 to 1987 in his jail cell, where he interviewed many other prominent Afghans imprisoned by the regime. . . . Kakar's work is both interesting and useful for a variety of readers. Historians will appreciate its unique contributions to a scantily documented period; political scientists will improve their understanding of the politics of resistance, problems of large group organization, and the emergence of new sources of political leadership. The general reader will find the book readable, sometimes shocking and especially fascinating for its behind-the-scenes account of this period."—MESA Bulletin
"Kakar is more than just a recording angel: as a professor in history at Kabul University he was at the centre of events from 1979 until his arrest by Karmal's regime in 1982. His chapters on the demonstrations in Kabul leading to the uprising of February 1980 are particularly interesting because he was an eyewitness to the events he describes."—Asian Affairs
"Detailed and passionate."—Choice
"One of Afghanistan's most distinguished scholars, a British-trained historian, has made a significant contribution to the record of the Communist period in his tortured homeland."—Russian Review
"[A] sophisticated analysis. From Kakar the true horror of this unfortunate conflict is revealed."—Library Journal
"Historical records of this period are undoubtedly enriched by Kakar's work, based on his personal journal. Indeed, a considerable portion of his research was conducted from 1982 to 1987 in his jail cell, where he interviewed many other prominent Afghans imprisoned by the regime. . . . Kakar's work is both interesting and useful for a variety of readers. Historians will appreciate its unique contributions to a scantily documented period; political scientists will improve their understanding of the politics of resistance, problems of large group organization, and the emergence of new sources of political leadership. The general reader will find the book readable, sometimes shocking and especially fascinating for its behind-the-scenes account of this period."—MESA Bulletin
"Kakar is more than just a recording angel: as a professor in history at Kabul University he was at the centre of events from 1979 until his arrest by Karmal's regime in 1982. His chapters on the demonstrations in Kabul leading to the uprising of February 1980 are particularly interesting because he was an eyewitness to the events he describes."—Asian Affairs
"Detailed and passionate."—Choice
"The times Kakar writes about have . . . pervasively influenced every life in Afghanistan. . . . He was continuously faced with different versions of the Afghan experience as his country went through one of the great cataclysms of its history. We are fortunate to have his account."—Robert Canfield, editor of Turko-Persia in Historical Perspective
"This is the first history of recent events in Afghanistan by a native historian trained in London. Kakar writes objectively about the Soviets, the Afghan government, and the Mujahideen. With personal observations, including years spent in Kabul's notorious Pul-i Charkhi prison, this book is unique in revealing many events hitherto not known or recorded. It will remain a standard work on . . . contemporary Afghanistan."—Richard N. Frye, Harvard University
"Kakar, one of Afghanistan's most distinguished scholars, has provided an outstanding account of a complex and interesting phase of modern Afghanistan history. . . . A fascinating and absorbing analysis . . . exhaustive and most valuable."—Vartan Gregorian, President, Brown University
"This is the first history of recent events in Afghanistan by a native historian trained in London. Kakar writes objectively about the Soviets, the Afghan government, and the Mujahideen. With personal observations, including years spent in Kabul's notorious Pul-i Charkhi prison, this book is unique in revealing many events hitherto not known or recorded. It will remain a standard work on . . . contemporary Afghanistan."—Richard N. Frye, Harvard University
"Kakar, one of Afghanistan's most distinguished scholars, has provided an outstanding account of a complex and interesting phase of modern Afghanistan history. . . . A fascinating and absorbing analysis . . . exhaustive and most valuable."—Vartan Gregorian, President, Brown University
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