Andrew Quilty in conversation with Ahmad Shuja Jamal

A compelling, thought provoking must-read about the days leading up to the fall of Kabul and its aftermath from a photo-journalist who spent almost a decade living in Afghanistan, capturing both its sorrows and its joys. – Yalda Hakim

When the Taliban arrived at the gates to the city of Kabul in 2021, Andrew Quilty had been living and working there for eight years. A nine-time Walkley Award-winning journalist, his first book August in Kabul documents with raw, powerful insight and first-hand accounts those earth-shattering and decisive final days, and foregrounds what the humiliating defeat of a decades-long initiative means for both ordinary civilians and global foreign policy.

On Thursday 15 September at the Royal Oak Balmain, join him in conversation with Ahmad Shuja Jamal, a researcher, former Afghan civil servant and Fulbright fellow, who helped to reopen the American University of Afghanistan after the devastating terrorist attack on campus in August 2016.

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Seating is unallocated – another reason to arrive early to secure an optimal spot. Why not make a full evening of it, too, by booking a meal at the Royal Oak before or after the event? One of Balmain’s oldest and best-known pubs, it serves a delicious range of food and beverages.

August in Kabul will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with book signings from Quilty following the discussion.

If you miss out on a ticket, you can still watch the event as it is livestreamed from the Roaring Stories Facebook page (accessible on the Home page and from the Live tab). A recording will also be available to view later as an upload on the Roaring Stories YouTube channel.