On the Ground in Afghanistan

The new Bruce Chatwin, Matthew Leeming is a vivid writer with a real eye for detail and colour -- and humour

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"Back at the guest house, I found the staff glued to a Pakistani singing competition that was really a beauty parade. The only criterion for watching TV -- and exclusively male activity -- is whether there are any pretty girls in it. 'Are you married?' asked the boss. 'You have friend?' I began wondering whether they would buy pornography. Are there Pakistani porn mags? There may be a business opportunity here."

An account of Matthew Leeming's adventures in Afghanistan, this is part memoir, part-travelogue -- and a riveting read. Full of eye-opening facts about Afghan society and culture (including attitudes to the Taliban and glimpses of what it's like to live in a country so ravaged by war:

"One tank formed the foundation of a house; another had been incorporated into a wall"), it is written with a colourful, humourous yet sympathetic style, and covers topics as diverse as the Nazis in Nuristan, the mystery of the blonde Afghans, and the world's oldest mine.