Shah Mohammad, identified as "Sultan Khan" in Seierstad's book, told newspaper VG Friday that he "hates Aasne very much now." He claims she "abused" his "affection, hospitality and friendship."
Seierstad met Shah Mohammad in Kabul after she'd been covering the US crackdown on the Taliban in Afghanistan. His bookstore, which he kept rebuilding after years of censorship and destruction under various Afghan regimes, became a welcome place of respite after months of difficult war coverage.
Fascinated by him, she asked if she could write a book about the bookseller and his family. He agreed to let her stay in his home for an extended period, and the result was Seierstad's book, "The Bookseller of Kabul."
The book was an immediate success in Norway and since has been sold to 17 countries, where it has received glowing reviews. The book has captivated its readers for its seemingly straightforward and shocking account of daily life in Kabul, and especially women's lives, based on Seierstad's five months living with the family and wearing a burkha.
Shah Mohammad, however, didn't get to read the book until an English version recently was brought to him by another Norwegian journalist from a women's magazine called "KK." His own review was far from positive.
He claims the book is a "dangerous" and faulty portrayal of his family and that he will sue Seierstad and her publisher for defamation and rumour-spreading.
Seierstad says she's not surprised that Shah Mohammad isn't pleased with her book. "One can only wonder what kind of book he would be satisfied with," she told VG. "He has probably dreamed that the book should be the biography of a hero."
She noted, however, that she's sorry he didn't get a chance to read the book in English before it was released. She claims her publisher wouldn't allow her to give out any advance copies, "but I'm very angry at myself that I didn't insist on it at the time."
The book was published by Cappelen in Norway, while the English version is published by Little, Brown.
