A Kabul bookseller specializing in Pashto-language books tells Amu TV that sales have increased since the beginning of the year, with novels and motivational books drawing particularly strong interest from young readers.
Mohammad Zarif Zirak, who runs Samoon Bookstore in Kabul’s Kota-e-Sangi area, says that many of the Pashto books on his shelves are printed in Afghanistan and that some popular titles have gone through several editions because of reader demand.
One motivational book, “Babel Khan,” has been printed six times and sold as many as 8,000 copies, he said.
“The novel ‘Mullah’ has been printed for a third time,” Zirak told Amu TV. “Another book, a motivational book called ‘Babel Khan,’ has been printed six times and has sold up to 8,000 copies.”
Samoon Bookstore carries hundreds of Pashto-language titles. Zirak said young customers are particularly interested in novels and motivational books, including works originally written in Pashto and translations from Persian and other languages.
He said the number of Pashto books being printed has increased, with many published in Kabul, Nangarhar and Kandahar. Sales and printing have also picked up compared with the beginning of the year, he said.
“Our readers are diverse, but most of the books we have are literature,” Zirak said. “Most of our readers are university students and people who read in Pashto.”
The reported increase comes as Taliban authorities maintain oversight of book publishing and distribution in Afghanistan. In April, the Taliban-run Ministry of Information and Culture said it had reviewed 370 book titles over the previous year and prevented dozens from being published.
Women and girls are also noticeably absent from many Kabul bookstores. Taliban authorities have barred girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and women from universities, restrictions that have sharply limited their access to formal education.
There are no available figures showing how women’s and girls’ interest in or access to nonacademic books has changed during the years of restrictions.
The post Kabul bookseller says popular book has sold 8,000 copies appeared first on Amu TV.