Tears of Heart - Paperback

by Marghana Sharq (Author)

This book is in full color. The book includes beautiful colorful paintings drawn by the Afghan artists specifically for "Tears of Heart" The first English poetry book written by an Afghan poet, Tears of Heart is an exciting re-release of Marghana Sharq's acclaimed 1988 book of poetry, The Debris of Dreams, with additional poems exploring Marghana's feelings about separation, war, missing home, and her conflict with her culture. Marghana wrote The Debris of Dreams while a teenager, and her powerful and profound prose explore both the war in her country and the war within herself, as she must hide her feelings of love and passion in a world that condemns them. The Debris of Dreams became the first book of poetry to feature the authentic voice of an Afghan woman. Marghana soon appeared on the BBC, in The New York Times, and in The Washington Post. Along with acclaim, however, came controversy. The government banned the sale of the book and Marghana fled the country, finally immigrating to the United States. Thoughts of her people back home suffering in war and poverty created a feeling of helplessness. Nevertheless, Marghana tried to freeze her emotions and walk away from her passion toward building a new life, from scratch. After she read an article about the importance of her poetry to the Afghan people, Marghana became impassioned enough to pick up her pen once again. Tears of Heart is written in three sections. Section One comes from the original book with minor modifications and includes poems written between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. Section Two poems were penned during the Russian and Mujahideen Wars, a time when Marghana was between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. The final section contains selections from various ages and times. Through her compelling verse, we see the strength and wisdom of this incredible woman who still burns with passion and anguish for the homeland she never forgot.

Author Biography

Marghana Sharq is an Afghan-American poet who lives in California. She attended Kabul University in Afghanistan to study language and literature. She also attended graduate school at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India before receiving her business degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from the University of California at Irvine.