Afghan women writers ‘want their voices heard’ says Cambridge don

Before Kabul fell three years ago, she said many of the women had office jobs and could publish their own work, but “all of a sudden things are changing”.

Dr Fayyaz said most of the women writers were “constantly moving” within Afghanistan or had left the country altogether.

One of the writers, Zainab, wrote about being a traveller and understanding that “you cannot take everything with you”.

Dr Fayyaz said: “We are doing everything we can to keep our writers safe, but at the same time they want their voices heard.”

She said the book, called My Dear Kabul, was a joint effort of the writers, editors and translators involved.

“I hope the world honours them by reading their stories,” she said.