Nadeem Aslam - The Wasted Vigil

June 2003 — August 2007

This is a work of fiction. The characters and organisations depicted in it are either the author’s creation or are used fictitiously. No resemblance is intended to any persons living or dead, to any organisations past or present. When a fictitious character is present at a real event — for example, David Town at the Islamabad embassy siege in chapter three, or the child Casa at the burning of the Ojhri Camp ammunitions depot in chapter six — the results are fiction.

The verses on page 304 are by Yevgeny Vinokurov (tr. Daniel Weissbort, Post-War Russian Poetry, Penguin Books, New York, 1974). The poem on page 16 is Note on the Terazije Gallows, 1941 by Vasko Popa ( Collected Poems, Anvil Press Poetry, London, 1997). The italicised line on page 403 is from Aamer Hussein’s Turquoise (Saqi Books, London, 2002). The two lines that end the section on page 415 are a paraphrased couplet by Jigar Moradabadi. Casabianca , the poem, is by Felicia Hemans. Mark Bowden’s essay ‘The Kabul-ki Dance’ ( Road Work, Atlantic Books, London, 2004) informs the paragraphs about the flying sorties over Afghanistan in chapter seven. Another helpful book was Inside the Jihad by Omar Nasiri (Basic Books, New York, 2006). The author is grateful to Beatrice Monti della Corte of Santa Maddalena Foundation in Italy where a section of this book was composed in 2005. Thank you to the Lannan Foundation, Dr Naeem Hasanie, the gentlemen at ICUK, to Muneeb and Mughees Anwar. A special thanks to Victoria Hobbs and A. M. Heath. And to Salman Rashid — Khizr and guide during travels in Afghanistan’s cities. Kathy Anderson. Diana Coglianese. Maya Mavjee in Toronto. To Angus Cargill in London and Sonny Mehta in New York.

Nadeem Aslam is the author of the highly acclaimed Season of the Rainbirds (1993) and most recently Maps for Lost Lovers (2004), which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the IMPAC Prize and was awarded the Kiriyama Prize and the Encore Award. He was named Decibel Writer of the Year in 2005. Born in Pakistan, he now lives in England.