Spôjmaï Zariâb: Narrator of Suffering and Hope in Afghan Literature

Numerous stories by Spôjmaï Zariâb, the renowned Persian-language writer, have been published in both Persian and French. She was born in 1949 in Kabul. Her father, Abdulrôuf Panjshiri, was an antiquarian with a deep passion for culture, literature, and history—a passion he passed on to his daughter, who from her adolescence devoted herself to literature and fiction writing.

Spôjmaï completed her secondary education at Malalai High School in Kabul, and then studied French language and literature at Kabul University. Her love for literature and languages led her to France, where she continued her studies at the University of Besançon and earned a doctorate in modern literature. Her experience of life in Europe later found reflection in many of her writings, particularly in the novel “In Another Country.”

She was among the first women to venture into fiction writing in Afghanistan and is one of the first Afghan writers whose works were translated into French. She began her career at a time when Afghan society was not yet ready to accept women in the literary field. Nevertheless, Spôjmaï, through perseverance, succeeded in establishing her voice among the writers of her country. With the publication of works such as “Sharang Sharang-e Zangha,” “La Plaine de Caïn,” and the novel “In Another Country,” she secured a prominent place in Persian-language narrative literature.

Le Monde Diplomatique, in one of its 1983 issues, described her ability to portray closed and rebellious worlds with exceptional mastery:

“While storytellers abound in contemporary Afghan literature, few have been able to give such a masterful and condensed vision of closed and revolting worlds where the absurd yields only to the dreadful.”

Among her works is the short story collection “La Plaine de Caïn.” This book was first published in Persian in 1988 and later in French under the same title by Éditions de l’Aube in 2001.

Another of her works, “Ces murs qui nous écoutent,” was published in Persian in 2003 and translated into French under the same title in October 2000. This book narrates the lives of Afghan people during the tense period of occupation.

In 2005, the French-language short story collection “Dessine-moi un coq!” was published. It includes seven short stories, each shaped by memories and recollections of the past.

The collection “Les demeures sans nom: et autres nouvelles” (The Nameless Dwellings and Other Stories) is another work by Zariâb, published in 2010, which received widespread recognition.

Spôjmaï Zariâb, in addition to being recognized among writers in France and having a significant influence on Persian literature and Afghan storytelling, played a pioneering role in traditional Afghan society. She is not only one of Afghanistan’s major writers but also one of the first serious female writers in the country, inspiring numerous women to take up the pen after her.

Spôjmaï Zariâb gained international fame through works such as “La Plaine de Caïn” and “The Face of the City on a Purple Background,” the latter of which was presented at the Avignon Festival in 1991. Michael Barry, a French critic of Persian literature, has described her as one of the most prominent figures in Persian literature and has translated several of her books into French.

She currently resides in France.

Sources and References:

1. La Plaine de Caïn, Spôjmaï Zariâb.

2. Ces murs qui nous écoutent, postface by Michael Barry, French literary critic.

3. Dessine-moi un coq, short story collection, 2005.

4. Les demeures sans nom: et autres nouvelles, 2010.