New novel highlighting the trauma of fleeing Afghanistan

María Montecelos Santo Domingo, Jan 26 (EFE) – Co-authors Fermín Cabanillas and Reyes Calvillo presented their novel ‘Kabul: flee to live’ in Santo Domingo. The novel personalizes the traumatic experience of thousands of people fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban occupation in August 2021.

Cabanillas and Calvillo were inspired by their personal experience with a solidarity gesture towards the Karwan family. A translator based in Seville, the family was faced with death threats by the Taliban regime when Cabanillias tweeted to warn of the situation.

The process of getting them out of Afghanistan began, culminating on the night of October 12 when they were finally safe. “We are trying to see if the miracle of bringing them is possible,” Cabanillas told EFE.

Acceptance of the novel, soon to publish its third edition, has been growing alongside the family’s journey since the move, and could potentially give rise to a second part narrating their life afterward.

Published in the form of a diary, the novel is an amalgamation of journalism and literature, combining known and unknown details to fill the gaps. Having presented the novel in 56 locations, Cabanillas and Calvillo also conduct talks in schools, institutes and universities to facilitate understanding of the Taliban’s terror in Afghanistan.