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The Invention of Yesterday

Find it wherever books are sold.

Where did our story start, where have we been, where are we going?
And who is this “we”?

My work ranges from history to memoir to fiction. I grew up in Afghanistan and grew old in America. As an Afghan-American writer, I often find myself exploring areas where civilizations overlap and cultures interact. I am currently working on a novel about a man and a woman who embark on a journey to Afghanistan together, shortly after 9/11. For safety’s sake, on their journey, they decided to pose as a married couple : thereby hangs a tale.

Reviews and Interviews

What is the future of Islamic identity in a world that is changing at blinding speed? That’s one of many interesting questions that came up in my conversation with Atir Khan, editor-in-chief of Awaz, The Voice, a website based in India. How can we use the past to navigate our way into the future when we’re moving so fast, we can’t see where we’re going? That’s the basic question. You can access the conversation here.

Throughline did an interview with me about The Invention of Yesterday and built a podcast around it. They discuss the role of narrative in history and human life, the core topic of my book The Invention of Yesterday, and one of my main intellectual preoccupations these days. Listen to the podcast here.

A conversation with Rhys Lindmark at his podcast The Rhys Show, mainly about history and about the significance and consequences of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rhys founded an online school and research center called Roote.

A conversation about diversity, society, consciousness and many other things under the sun with Enrico Manalo of All Aces. You can find it at Intentionally Act Live.

A discussion about world history and world historical narratives with George Hammond of the Commonwealth Club.

Batting around lots of big ideas with Sonali Kolhatkar, host of Rising Up With Sonali on Free Speech TV.  See the interview here.

Kevin Canfield of the San Francisco Chronicle says, “In his terrific new book, Tamim Ansary explores the underappreciated ways that empires, nations and smaller sets of people have responded to their surroundings, influenced one another and developed stories that give their lives meaning.” Read the full review.

My talk about The Invention of Yesterday at Book Passage, in Corte Madera. See the presentation on Book TV here.

Discussing ideas and issue presented in The Invention of Yesterday with Michael Krasny of Forum on KQED radio. Listen.

Ansary, in conversation with Bill Radke of Seattle’s KUOW Radio, proposes that history is best understood as a collection of narratives. Go here (and scroll down to the 4th segment) to listen in.

Tamim Ansary on the ‘Net

Shepherd, a website that recommends books, asked 950 authors to name their three favorite books, of the books they read in 2023. It didn’t have to be a book published in 2023, just a book they read in 2023. I was one of the authors invited to participate in this poll. Go here to see what books I listed and what I liked about them.

What to read for a sense of the human story as a single whole–Ansary’s recommendations on Discover the Best Books.

Ruminations on the end of the American Project in Afghanistan at the Clingendale Spectator, published in Amsterdam.