Khadijeh Haidari, an Afghan writer, has announced that her collection of short stories has won the Tak-Koocha Bookstore Literary Award in China.
Ms. Haidari posted a message on her Facebook account, stating that the Tak-Koocha Bookstore Literary Award in China is one of the most prestigious independent non-governmental awards established by the renowned bookstore “One Way Space.”
She added that this award was launched with a focus on promoting critical thinking and celebrating independent intellectualism.
Ms. Haidari emphasized that the distinguishing feature of this award is its prioritization of deep literary values and social concerns, which has made it a symbol of cultural resistance and the preservation of high intellectual standards in contemporary literary spaces.
She continued, “I don’t know how much I can be happy about such events. When the book was published and widely read in China, I felt as if my spirit had become famous somewhere, and my writings were being welcomed while I was not even present there. Nevertheless, I am glad that there are people who appreciate such work and make individuals like me feel that our efforts are not in vain and our thoughts are not wasted.”
Referring to the limitations faced by women in Afghanistan, she stated, “More importantly, Afghan women have been innocently deprived of education and work, which is their most basic right that they should have, but astonishingly and sadly, it has been taken away from them. As a woman from such a country, I am happy to have a voice.”
Khadijeh Haidari’s book contains 18 short stories, all reflecting her life and the lives of other women in Afghanistan.
This book has been published by Light Publications.
