Amid the turbulent waves of exile and resistance, “Torn Womb”, a new book by Afghan migrant writer Tamanna Eisar, has recently been published—a milestone that is not only a literary achievement but also a symbol of the silenced voices of Afghan women. Published by *Ketab Kabul Publishing*, this book intertwines personal, social, and feminine narratives of displacement, oppression, and resilience. It echoes the collective suffering of women who, after the fall of Kabul in August 2021, were uprooted from their homes, histories, and social memory.
Announcing the release, Tamanna Eisar expressed her own surprise, stating: “Becoming a refugee is never a choice; it is always a compulsion.” From this compulsion, “Torn Womb” was born—a book that speaks not only of leaving one’s homeland but also of severing language, belonging, time, and voice—ruptures that countless Afghan women endure every day.
The work is the product of years of what Eisar calls “exile writing”—fragmented narratives that she regards as both survival and resistance. “Torn Womb” goes beyond a single woman’s migration story; it stands as a historical testimony to the suffering of Afghan women—pain too profound for official histories to contain.
The book occupies a space between memoir, documentary narrative, and feminist literature—an intimate account of exile, escape, violence, and the reconstruction of self in a fractured world. It bears the collective weight of a nation—a nation rediscovering its wounds in the silenced voices of its women.
The official description reads:
“‘Torn Womb’ is not merely the personal story of an Afghan migrant woman; it is the echo of a historical conscience—a voice emerging from darkness and denial, speaking from pain, exile, collapse, and resurgence. This book strives to document wounds so deep that official history fails to tell them.”
While recounting the fall of Kabul and the return of Taliban rule, the book is far from a distant narrative. It delves into hidden layers of fear, anxiety, silence, the desire to survive, and the rewriting of self.
Fariha Eisar writes: “This book is the voice of an Afghan woman who has lived through separation and rupture—and still writes… Torn Womb is your book, and it is ours too.”
At a time when Taliban policies systematically erase women from education, work, media, art, and public life, the publication of this book is a remarkable political, cultural, and historical act. The official launch took place recently in London (August 23, 2025), attended by cultural figures, writers, and activists such as Reza Mohammadi, Batool Haidari, and Rahela Siddiqi, and received significant attention.
This book can spark new conversations about the role of women in recording history, narrating exile, and envisioning a future where voice is not erasable. Print and digital copies are now available on platforms such as Ketab Kabul and Google Books
