The Honey Thief by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman
 
Reviewed by Pip Morrissey - formerly with the Northern Rivers Writers' Centre
 
The title story in this collection is one of thirteen chapters covering a range of genres, from whimsical tales with a spiritual message, historical accounts, personal triumphs and even food hints and recipes, revolving around lives and times of Afghanistan, past and present. The authors have created a fascinating chronicle of the cultural history of the Hazars, one of the four main tribal groups which have existed in Afghanistan for centuries. The Hazars are believed to be descended from the warriors of Genghis Khan, who swept down from Mongolia in the 13th century and traversed China, India and Central Asia. They settled in the mountainous region of central Afghanistan, farming the fertile lowlands between the high snow-capped peaks of Hazarajat, west of the capital of Kabul. Their facial appearance, cultural customs, yurts and farming practices all bear a close resemblance to modern Mongolian people and they have lived in Afghanistan for a very long time.
 
Najaf Mazari is a Hazar. He was born in Afghanistan and left his homeland to settle in his 'new land' of Australia in 2001 but speaks of his people and his origins with a deep sense of pride and a heartfelt connection that binds him, body and soul, to the stories he relates in this book, the stories of his childhood.
 
Robert Hillman is an award winning Australian author who lives in Melbourne, as does Mazari, and this is their second collaboration, the first being The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif, which sprang from their mutual interest in the plight of refugees.
 
This book is an unforgettable read, not only because the stories and the simple but deeply philosophical and moral messages they convey are very moving, but also because they give the reader an insight into the turmoil that we are presented with almost nightly on our TV screens that sums up all that most of us know about Afghanistan. We see it as a country that has struggled against the tyranny of warlords, invaders, rebels and tribes and the upheaval of war and displacement throughout its long history. It is a country characterised by hardship and deprivation from both within and without and no Afghani tribal group has experienced this tumultuous history more bitterly than the Hazars, and yet they have overcome their repression with humility and honour.
 
The Honey Thief enables us to empathise with and understand modern Afghanistan through stories that are fact and fable, tragedy and comedy, despairing and uplifting, painful and beautiful and written with an honesty and clarity of intelligence that is refreshing and deeply satisfying. It was a pleasure to read this book, disappointing to come to the end and I look forward to a possible third collaboration from these two authors.