German Crime Novel, SILENT TREES, is Released

Nasir Shansab turned to fiction as a way to explore universal themes in human nature that are difficult to explain in any other art form.

Once Afghanistan's leading industrialist until he was forced to leave in 1975, Shansab used his native land as the setting for his novel Silent Trees (Bartleby Press).

Described as "dark and brooding," the novel explores the corrosive effects on the entire society of corruption and the uninhibited pursuit of power. By choosing a time and place unknown and strange to most Americans, he hoped that readers would focus on the story and characters.

The story's main character, Dhil, is a cloth manufacturer and part of the elite of the country, but wants to stay aloof from it, except he is having a dangerous, secret affair with Miriam, the Prime Minister's daughter. Dhil's childhood friend Gol is an army officer and seems to be willing to leave principles behind in order to improve his status in the corrupt government.

As they developed, each character in Silent Trees took on a life of its own, sometimes surprising even their creator. As he perfected his craft, nothing could have prepared Shansab to discover he had himself become a character-in someone else's novel.

The book is in German, titled, Himmelberg: Eine Kriminalerzaelung aus Kraichgau und Orient (Info Verlag) by Johannes Hucke. Translated, the title reads, "Himmelberg: A Crime Story from Kraichgau to the Middle East." Kraichgau is an area in the northern part of Baden-Wuertenberg.

So how does an Afghan-American living in Northern Virginia with roots in Afghanistan going back to 12th century become a character in a German novel? The answer lies in Nasir Shansab's youth.

Shansab attended Salem, a private boarding school in Southern Germany where many of Europe's elite, royalty and leaders of industry were sent for an education. It was there he became close friends with, among others, Marquis Graft Ruediger von Hoensbroech. Today, von Hoensbroech owns a vineyard on top of a hill known as "Himmelberg."

Both Shansab and his friend are characters. He vaguely remembers giving his permission to use his name, not thinking much about it. "I received an invitation to a book launch, but couldn't attend," he said. "I forgot all about it until a copy arrived in the mail."

The story centers on "Nasir Shansab," being pursued in Germany by an Afghan clan bent on revenge. He seeks out a friend, von Hoensbroech, for help.

"I'm glad it all works out in the end," Shansab said after reading Himmelberg in German. "And I'm glad my friend is the hero. I very much enjoyed that."

Although he doesn't have much more to say about Himmelberg, Shansab does make very clear that no one is chasing him: "That's complete fiction. I have no personal enemies. Not here. Not in Germany. And not in Afghanistan."

To learn more about Nasir and his book Silent Trees, visit his website at http://www.shansab.com.

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