Abas from Kabul
The story of Abas is part of my second novel My Name Is Europe (published so far in French and Greek). The novel is a combination of fiction and oral history - with 18 real stories of border-crossers around the world. Review of the novel in English: https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/book-review-my-name-is-europe-by-gazmend-kapllani?lang=fr Over 600 Afghans cram into U.S. cargo plane in desperate flight from Kabul in August 2021. Source:Reuters My name is Abas. I was born in Kabul in 1975, or 1359 according to the Afghan calendar. During my childhood Kabul was a beautiful city. But then it was razed by the Soviets, the mujahideen, the Taliban, the Americans… How many shells and rockets fell on it in those twenty or twenty-five years, thousands, millions? I have no idea. I was a kid when one day I opened the door and saw a tank with a Russian soldier on it, wearing a bright red helmet and petting an enormous dog that was sitting next to him. I was terrified. For as long as I can re