Sunday 29 January 2012

The Interpreter by Shah








Lisa Selby
ShahSight Hello Shah, Welcome to your website ShahSight. You have interviewed many authors, including myself. You have also interviewed yourself. I thought it would be a good idea to have someone else interview you. So it is my pleasure to be able to do so. You are the author of "The Interpreter" please tell us something about your background so we can understand you better as an author.




Shah Sight Thanks Lisa, it's very kind of you, and it's appreciated. My full name is Shah Wali Fazli, I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. After finishing my school, I went to university, studying medicine. But the Mujahidin and after them the Taliban took over Kabul and things went from bad to worse and the worst not only for me, but for the whole country. It's a long story, and both my books, The Interpreter, and Running from Life, is about the Afghanistan war.



Lisa Selby What made you want to become an author?


Shah Sight I think it is my job, and the way I have lived my life, full of adventures, full of tragedies, full of accidents and full of dramas one after the other, I haven't lived a normal life, Lisa, I have always been in danger, and that made me write about what I had seen in my life.



Lisa Selby Other than school realted projects had you ever written before as a hobby?


Shah Sight No, Lisa, for me hobby didn't exist much, you can't have hobbies in a country like Afghanistan, you can only think of survival, you can only think of how to make things safe for you and for your family. I was born in middle of an ongoing war in our country.



Lisa Selby What was the first thing you wrote? Was it "The Interpreter"?


Shah Sight I first wrote Running from Life in the Dari language, The Interpreter is my second book.



Lisa Selby Why did you decide to write "The Interpreter'?


Shah Sight When I was writing the interpreter, I thought of so many other names, until I came up with this name. After I wrote Running from Life in my native language, I got the confidence and I started writng this book. The main reason was to make a living out of writing, if possible, let's see if I can do that.



Lisa Selby For those people who might be unfamiliar with the book can you tell us briefly what it is about?


Shah Sight Thank you so much Lisa, of course, I would love to. The setting is in Helmand, Afghanistan. The story is about an Afghan interpreter working with the American forces in the Sangin district of Helmand, one of the most dangerous places in the world. His job is to go on patrols with the forces, to connect the soldiers with the local Afghans, and also with their Afghan partners in different parts of Helmand. Mullah Aslam, the Taliban commander, looks at Shabir, the interpreter, as an infidel and he is after him all the time -- to capture him and then behead him, as he manages to behead many interpreters in Helmand.



Lisa Selby Shah, it sounds fascinating! What do you hope your readers will get out of your book "The Interpreter"?



Lisa Selby Waht message are you trying to send?


Shah Sight Thanks, Lisa, I have said it a few times before, and I love to say it again that when I was writing this book I so much hoped that the war would be over by the time my book comes out. People who have read The Interpreter know what this book can offer. There is a lot to learn about the war and complexities of this war in our country. It's written in a way to make the readers wonder, guess, and ask themselves a lot of questions, and then get their answers in the next chapter or page. There is a lot to learn in this book, about Afghanistan, it's people, it's culture, it's beautiful nature, and also why NATO is and should be in that country.



Lisa Selby Shah, I think this book, "The Interpreter" will answer a lot of people's questions regarding this war and what is really going on over there, instead of what people see on the news. Do you see the current situation in Afghanistan getting better or worse in the future, especially after the US troops leave?


Shah Sight Good question Lisa, I so much hope that things get better for our people, as they have suffered so much. Now the US and the Afghan government are in talks with the Taliban, and the Taliban are ready to join the peace process and give up with this war, that is the only hope for us. But if the Taliban continue fighting in Afghanistan, and the neighbouring countries continue with their support of the Taliban, things will be the same for years to come.



Lisa Selby Shah, I only hope that things will get better in your home country. In the meantime, are your working on any other books? If so what are they about?


Shah Sight I am editing Running from Life, and only thinking of writing a sequel to the interpreter, because I had promised to myself if ten people liked the interpreter I would write the sequel, and I can tell you that more than ten people have approved my first book in the English language.



Lisa Selby Shah, I am sure that once more people learn about your book that they will want to read the sequel to "The Interpreter" as well as "Running From Life". I want to thank you for allowing me to interview you. I have found it fascinatin, informative, and very enjoyable. I wish to ask you one last question. How can we purchase your book? Is it online, in the bookstores?


Shah Sight Online, you can buy it nearly every where, on Amazon.com and .uk, and on Smashwords, Barnes and Nobles, and many other sites, just type my name and the name of my book, that is it. But in the shop you have to order it, I don't think it physically exists in the shelves, which is a pity. I only add one link here to make sure people can see the book.http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103817

The Interpreter - Special Military Edition, an Ebook by Shah Wali Fazliwww.smashwords.com
‎'The Interpreter' is the story of Shabir Khan, an Afghan interpreter working with the American NATO forces in the Sangin district of Helmand, one of the most dangerous places on earth.



Lisa Selby Shah, Thank you very much for granting me this interview. It has been most enjoyable and informative. I wish you nothing but success on your books and your writing career. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I also hope that the Afghanizatin poeple can soon live in peace. Thanks again for joing us on ShahSight.


Shah Sight My pleasure, Lisa, it was great to be with you on this interview, thanks for having me.


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