Woo Skin - Shop now
$2.99 with 88 percent savings
Print List Price: $25.00

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jason Elliot
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan Kindle Edition

by Jason Elliot (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 165 ratings

Part historical evocation, part travelogue, and part personal quest, An Unexpected Light is the account of Elliot's journey through Afghanistan, a country considered off-limits to travelers for twenty years. Aware of the risks involved, but determined to explore what he could of the Afghan people and culture, Elliot leaves the relative security of Kabul. He travels by foot and on horseback, and hitches rides on trucks that eventually lead him into the snowbound mountains of the North toward Uzbekistan, the former battlefields of the Soviet army's "hidden war." Here the Afghan landscape kindles a recollection of the author's life ten years earlier, when he fought with the anti-Soviet mujaheddin resistance during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Weaving different Afghan times and visits with revealing insights on matters ranging from antipersonnel mines to Sufism, Elliot has created a narrative mosaic of startling prose that captures perfectly the powerful allure of a seldom-glimpsed world. Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light is a remarkable, poignant book about Afghanistan and a heartfelt reflection on the experience of travel itself.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    585 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Picador
  4. Publication date
    August 2, 2011
  5. File size
    3.9 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An account of a trip through war-torn and poverty-stricken Afghanistan, this remarkable book could have been titled "An Unexpected Beauty." Elliot, who first traveled to the country as a 19-year-old enthusiast of the mujahedin, has no illusions about the inherent shortcomings of travel writing ("a semi-fictional collection of descriptions that affirm the prejudices of the day"). He also dismisses the journalistic method, which relies on a single bombed-out street in Kabul to monolithically represent an entire nation. So it is not without some self-deprecation that he offers his own strange and improbable adventures in the country's lawless stretches and perilous mountain passes. "I had in mind a quietly epic sort of journey," he explains. "I had given up on earlier and more ambitious schemes and was prepared to make an ally of uncertainty, with which luck so often finds a partnership." Humorous, honest and wry, a devotee of Afghanistan's culture, Elliot strives to debunk the myth of "the inscrutability of the East" and paint, in careful detail, a portrait of a deeply spiritual people. For a first-time author, his literary talents are exceptional. His sonorous prose moves forward with the purposeful grace of a river; it reads like a text unearthed from an ancient land. (Feb.) Forecast: Already lauded in England, this book announces the arrival of a major travel writer. It should capture the hearts of armchair travelers who long for the grace, wit and irreverence of an era long gone.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This extraordinary debut is an account of Elliot's two visits to Afghanistan. The first occurred when he joined the mujaheddin circa 1979 and was smuggled into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan; the second happened nearly ten years later, when he returned to the still war-torn land. The skirmishes that Elliot painstakingly describes here took place between the Taliban and the government of Gen. Ahmad Shah Massoud in Kabul. Today, the Taliban are in power, but Elliot's sympathies clearly lie with Massoud. Although he thought long and hard before abandoning his plan to travel to Hazara territory, where "not a chicken could cross that pass without being fired on," Elliot traveled widely in the hinterland, visiting Faizabad in the north and Herat in the west. The result is some of the finest travel writing in recent years. With its luminous descriptions of the people, the landscape (even when pockmarked by landmines), and Sufism, this book has all the hallmarks of a classic, and it puts Elliot in the same league as Robert Byron and Bruce Chatwin. Enthusiastically recommended for all travel collections.DRavi Shenoy, Naperville P.L., IL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B8SBXQS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; First edition (August 2, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 2, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 585 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 165 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jason Elliot

Jason Elliot

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
165 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book insightful, providing comprehensive insights into Afghanistan's culture and history. Moreover, the writing style is beautifully crafted, with one customer noting its vivid descriptions of the landscape. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, with one customer describing it as a stand-alone example of literature at its contemporary best. Customers appreciate the travelogue content, with one review describing it as a thrilling tale of travel through Afghanistan. The book features a deep love story, and customers praise the author's talent.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

15 customers mention "Insight"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, providing comprehensive insights into Afghanistan's culture and history.

"...Elliot's deep love and intimate knowledge of these people and the remaining remnants of their culture informs every page of his vivid account...." Read more

"...Elliot does a great job juxtaposing his experiences in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, the 1992 collapse of the communist regime in Kabul,..." Read more

"...descriptions of ruins seldom seen by westerners, and intriguing historical facts from this crossroads of peoples for the traveler, adventurer and..." Read more

"...achieves with "An Unexpected Light" is the best account of what Afghanistan and its people are like that can be achieved by a Western..." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing style"12 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as beautifully written and a great painting of the country, with one customer noting its vivid descriptions of the landscape.

"...I do love travel writing, but this was unique...." Read more

"...It's an opportunity for the reader to enjoy, know and appreciate the country and people of Afghanistan in the years during and just after the Soviet..." Read more

"...The prose can be very lyrical and at times almost numinous, because he is being touched so by the deeper spirit of this land...." Read more

"Very well written with humor, empathy, and thoughtfulness. Provides in-depth insights into way of living for Afghan people...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with one describing it as a stand-alone example of literature at its contemporary best.

"An extraordinary book that transcends the bounds of travelogue and gives us deep and personal insight into one of the most the world's most..." Read more

"This book is more than a travel book. It's an opportunity for the reader to enjoy, know and appreciate the country and people of Afghanistan in the..." Read more

"..."Unexpected Light" is one of the best that has ever been written...." Read more

"...and culture while telling of his travels in such a way that leaves the reader spellbound...." Read more

6 customers mention "Travelogue content"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the travelogue content of the book, with one customer describing it as a thrilling tale of travel through Afghanistan, while another notes that it transcends the typical travelogue format.

"An extraordinary book that transcends the bounds of travelogue and gives us deep and personal insight into one of the most the world's most..." Read more

"This book is more than a travel book...." Read more

"This book is not simply a travelogue. Jason Elliot is clearly a poet at heart...." Read more

"This has been one of the most enjoyable travelogues I have ever read...." Read more

3 customers mention "Romance"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the love story in the book, with one describing it as a tale filled with longing.

"...of the circumstances and Mr. Elliot's reporting on them, is a tale filled with longing--a longing for some of what is, much of what was and has been..." Read more

"...That intense love shows, earning this book a special place amongst other travel writings...." Read more

"This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It's a love story about the love of people and their country...." Read more

3 customers mention "Talent"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's talent, with one noting how well the people are portrayed in the book.

"Though overly poetic at times, Elliot does a brilliant job bringing to light the situation in Afghanistan just prior to the Taliban occupation of..." Read more

"...His descriptions of the land, architecture and people are all very well done and his curiosity seems to know no bounds...." Read more

"...Jason Elliot is a wonderful writer, extremely talented and gifted for sure. I still can't believe this is the first book he has ever written...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Daniel Rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars Afghanistan's Conscience in the West
    Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2000
    Verified Purchase
    Of the currently posted reviews, it is interesting that they either rate this book at the top or at the bottom of the rating scale. This is a sign that the book elicits much more comment on the reviewer's state of mind than on the book itself. My review will be no different.
    While I second those who extoll the book's poetry and its vivid portrayal of the Afghan land and culture, to me the real value of the book lies in its deepest appeal to the conscience (or lack of conscience) in the reader. Mr. Elliot's report is unique in that it covers two or three visits that he undertook that span the time during and after the Soviet war, just prior to Taleban occupation of Kabul and the roughly 90% of Afghanistan that it occupies today.
    During this time, under extremely difficult circumstances, Mr. Elliot had access to people and places that would shortly be cut off and, in many cases, destroyed during the ensuing Taleban onslaught. The result, both of the circumstances and Mr. Elliot's reporting on them, is a tale filled with longing--a longing for some of what is, much of what was and has been lost, and what may never be recovered, an innocence and deeply human sympathy ravaged by the cynicism of the world.
    Afghanistan was never an easy place to live, but it was long a place where humanity reigned supreme in the daily lives of common people. Some have called it the height of civilization, low-tech though it was. It had long been the seat of a kind of basic (and advanced) hospitality that has been all but lost, though much imitated, in much of the rest of the world. Elliot's deep love and intimate knowledge of these people and the remaining remnants of their culture informs every page of his vivid account.
    In the end, he leaves those of us with the conscience to respond with a deep sense of loss, yet with a vivid picture of hope for the future of our common human destiny. Yes, he makes us want to visit what was once Afghanistan, the Land of the Free. But even more, he makes us accutely aware of the Jewel that has been lost and that we must all find again to restore the vital center of our own particular human culture where we happen to live, among the common people of our daily lives.
    62 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Rebecca McBride
    5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Real
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I'm not sure how this landed in my list of books waiting for me to read, but I'm so glad it did. I do love travel writing, but this was unique. As a volunteer at a refugee resettlement program, I encounter many Afghan families, and Elliot's descriptions of the warmth and welcoming nature of the Afghan men he comes into contact with resonated with me. (I got a kick out of his frequent description of the women as "beautiful.") And I appreciated the section on Sufism.

    I who love warmth and safety was amazed at his courage and determination. Even though the reader knows he makes it through, there are many suspenseful moments. Finally, I was so moved to read the last paragraphs as he winds down and leaves Afghanistan. And reading the last line, Mr. Elliot, me too.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Though overly poetic at times, Elliot does a brilliant job bringing to light the situation in Afghanistan just prior to the Taliban occupation of Kabul. Throughout the narrative Elliot strives to uncover the answer to the question: What is left of the culture in this war ravaged land? Elliot does a great job juxtaposing his experiences in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, the 1992 collapse of the communist regime in Kabul, and the time he spent exploring the country in the mid-1990s. Unlike other books I have read about Afghanistan, this title focuses on the people rather than the events which influence their lives. To answer the question as to whether culture can survive in such a harsh landscape Elliot circumnaivigates the country; from travelling on foot across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, to Kabul, to Herat, to Mazar-e-Shariff, and deep into the rugged and little explored regions of the Panjshir and Nuristan. What he uncovers may surprise you... I would recommend this book to any individual who has an interest in learning about Afghanistan OUTSIDE of the events of the on-going 30 year war.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Richard L. Wilson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Like Newby, Murphy, Asher, Thesiger? Then here's your man!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2000
    Verified Purchase
    An extraordinary book that transcends the bounds of travelogue and gives us deep and personal insight into one of the most the world's most inaccessible regions. Elliot's Afghan friends and travel companions convey, in the midst of the grief and difficulty of war, an enviable warmth and humor that has made the country a favorite of travelers for decades before the Soviet invasion. There are many hair raising trips in overloaded trucks over vertiginous mountain passes, lavish descriptions of ruins seldom seen by westerners, and intriguing historical facts from this crossroads of peoples for the traveler, adventurer and historian. Elliot writes from the heart and out of love for the Afghan people and land and this shines through on every page more than any such book I've read since Thesiger's Arabian Sands (and upon inspection, even Thesiger's motives begin to seem cloudy compared with Elliott's affection and respect for his subjects). You will put this book down with a profound respect for the Afghan people and immense desire to visit this land... I cannot recommend this book highly enough - if you read it you will soon find yourself searching through old travel guides and looking for a way to travel the roads of Afghanistan first hand.
    28 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Jerry G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars THE COMPLETE TRAVEL BOOK
    Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Yes, it's a travel book....and a very good one. It's also about history and culture and local/world politics. And, mostly, it's about people. I have a purposefully chaotic style for accumulating books to read yet lately I've been reading quite a bit about Afghanistan. This book was published in 1999 before 9/11 and all the horrors wrought by the U.S. yet, in a sense, little has changed in the country --- still mired in fighting with itself. This is a very good book for getting a bit of a sense for what the country is really like.
    Report
  • david pearson
    4.0 out of 5 stars A rewarding glimpse of life and history of Afghanistan
    Reviewed in Australia on March 4, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    A well written historical, political and social journey through this war-torn country
    Report
  • Linda
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I absolutely loved this book. I am a great fan of travel writing but too often they are predictable and based in France or Italy. This tells of Jason Elliot's trips to and around Afghanistan. Interestingly it was written in 1999 so predates 9/11 by two years. He writes about the Taliban's infiltration into Afghanistan and gets close to the people having to live within their grasp. His first illicit visit is during the Soviet occupation and all of its destruction and he returns when the Taliban are imposing their rule over the people. He has a great empathy with the people of Afghanistan and I found myself seeing this country in a whole new and more positive light than before. When you watch the news, all you see is negative images and the writer presents a country with great spirit, kindness and warm hospitality. It is a country torn apart and rules under terrible conditions-curfews, lack of basic resources, constant war and destruction yet there is a great humanity and spirit of positivity. You get the sense that Afghanistan is not an easy target for the Taliban as the people are fiercely independent. The writer did not have many conversations with the women of Kabul. In fact he seemed to place them on a pedastal as fantasy figures. I would like to have heard more about daily life for educated women in the country. However that is my only criticism. I found it an absorbing, fascinating book about a country I had known little about and it has fired my interest to know and read more. I hope he goes on to write a lot more.
    Report
  • ROVIJOE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully visual, not the arid damaged country we see ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Wanted to read more about Afghanistan after reading several Kaled Hoseini books. Fascinating book. Beautifully visual, not the arid damaged country we see in post 2001 news reports, Enjoyed his historical and mythological diversions.Very sad. Beautiful people, beautiful country.
    Report
  • Chris F
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, a little self indulgent.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I came to this book via "The Places in Between" by Rory Stewart and "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" by Eric Newby.

    Both of the above earned a five star rating, as they were excellent in every way.

    Whilst Mr Elliot's writing is very good, it is too self indulgent to be considered as the best example in the field.

    Nevertheless, the story is a fascinating one - from fighting against the Russians with the mujahaddin to meeting the Taleban as they were taking Afghanistan.

    His travels are certainly worth reading, but there are a few too many descriptions of incidents that only held meaning for Mr Elliot.

    Well worth reading, but be prepared to have to persevere through some sections. Recommended.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report