The Jihadi, Revolutionary and Antiwar Fiction in Afghanistan, 1978-2007

Jihadi, revolutionary and antiwar fiction developed in Afghanistan after 1978. The first two types attempted to glorify and justify the war; the last condemned war as a source of misery. These ideological and strategic works depicted the attitudes of the warring parties to themselves and to their enemies, and also to those not involved in politics. By examining the political and aesthetic nature of these works, we can establish how literature has moulded political interests in an Islamic society. Few other sources can provide such insight into the war for and against the control of the Taliban.