A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan
Nelofer Pazira, star of the films Kandahar and Return to Kandahar, discusses her new memoir, A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan
Presented by Pages Books and Magazines, Random House Canada and Now Magazine.
This is a PAY WHAT YOU CAN event, with ticket profits donated to the Dyana Afghan Women’s Fund and to Women for Women in Afghanistan.
This Is Not A Reading Series invites you to come hear Nelofer Pazira, the star of the films Kandahar and Return to Kandahar, in conversation about her new memoir A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan with Imprint host Tina Srebotnjak.
Nelofer Pazira was born into a privileged family living in Kabul and when she was just five years old, the Communists took power and her childhood ended. Her father, a respected doctor, was imprisoned along with thousands of other Afghans. The following year, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, which became a police state and the centre of a bloody conflict between the invading army and American-backed mujahidin fighters. A climate of violence and fear reigned, punctuated by unrelenting rocket attacks. A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan is an enthralling memoir of life, childhood and friendship as Pazira’s world collapses around her.
Amid the blood and war, Pazira’s emotional refuge from violence and anger was her friendship with her classmate Dyana. Together they shared their fears, their passion for poetry and dreams for a better life. After a decade of war, Pazira’s family escaped across the mountains to Pakistan and from there to Canada, where she continued her friendship with Dyana through letters. When her friend suddenly stopped writing, Pazira feared for Dyana’s life. Her return to Afghanistan under the Taliban and her desperate search for Dyana would become the story of the internationally acclaimed film Kandahar. Her journey to discover Dyana’s tragedy led her finally to Russia, the country that destroyed her life, where she found a nation imprisoned by its own history and mythology.
Nuanced, affecting and stunningly written, A Bed of Red Flowers is a gripping portrait of ordinary life under occupation and an illuminating window onto the devastation of a country and the resilience of its people.
Nelofer Pazira is a journalist and filmmaker based in Toronto. She starred in Kandahar and both acted in and co-directed Return to Kandahar. She currently works for CBC’s nightly newscast, The National. She has also recently set up a charity – Dyana Afghan Women’s Fund – to provide education and skills training for women in the city of Kandahar.
Tina Srebotnjak most recently hosted the book show Imprint on TVO for five seasons. She also spent twenty-four years as a host and producer at CBC Radio and Television, including four years as a producer at Morningside, and eight seasons as the co-host of Midday, CBC Television’s popular noon hour programme. Tina Srebotnjak lives in Toronto.
