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on October 19
Ted Rall
Posted project update #17Afghanistan Book Publication Schedule
Just an update about the status of the Afghanistan book.
Hill& Wang, a subsidiary of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is trying to decide whether to release the book in late 2012 or spring 2013. Their books are highly designed and very beautiful, which can lead to long lead times before publication. In addition, the coming 2012 presidential election has them considering the possibility of publishing a collection of my cartoons and prose about the Obama years next year, as an introduction to FSG, with the Afghanistan book following shortly on its heels.As for the book itself, it is near completion on my end. I am finishing up a graphic novella-formatted history of the Afghanistan War from 2001 to present (a break from the usual "let's start with Alexander the Great and wind up with the Soviet withdrawal, plus Americans!" approach. And I have a bunch of edits to do to the prose. But the book is finished enough that, if I died today, FSG could put it out today.
After I finish the Afghanistan book (in a month or two), I will turn my attention to a political book, a follow-up to my Anti-American Manifesto that describes what kind of transition could and should follow the overthrow of the U.S. government—a topic which the rise of the Occupy movement has made more relevant.
Feel free to get or stay in touch, and thanks again for your support!
Ted
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on April 5, 2011
Ted Rall
Posted project update #16Writing Away
Hi! I wanted to let you know the status of the book project.
The "Afghan Notebook" book for Farrar, Straus & Giroux is moving along nicely. It's going to be a fairly long (about 350 pp.) collection of prose, photos and cartoons about the trip to Afghanistan, framing it as one more example of US foreign policy running amok. Why do we always get ourselves into these quagmires?
The title was always a working title. Now I'm leaning more toward "The Beginning of the End: The US War in Afghanistan in Words and Pictures" or somesuch. If you have a better idea, now would be the time to speak up.
I've written the prose. I owe the publisher captions for the photos and then a 30-page comix-format history of the war from 2001 to 2011. That should all be done within two months. We're looking at a pub date of Spring 2012, partly because it is felt that Afghanistan may be a topic of discussion during the presidential primaries.
In related news, I'm also considering doing a series of documentaries and books about revolutions in practice on the ground, beginning with the Naxalite movement in Nepal and the Niger Delta insurgency.
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William Brown on April 5, 2011
As a major backer of this project, I feel my $20 investment entitles (heh) me to an opinion about the title. It IS a bit dry. How about something like: "Drive or DIE! An Excursion in War-Torn Afghanistan." Or - "Beards, Bombs, and Bullets." How about "Wasted" - which sums up the war - waste of lives, money, effort, etc. Remember, the point of a title isn't to give an overview of the book, it's to get people to pick it up.
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Michael Carens-Nedelsky on April 13, 2011
Also not a fan of the title, my 12 bucks (I think) going along way. I actually like Afghan Notebook. Of the above, Wasted is good, or Wasteland, playing on the above - maybe Wastedland?
Also, because Afghanistan was the "good" war, maybe "This Is What Freedom Looks Like"? or "This Is What Victory Looks Like"
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on September 12, 2010
Ted Rall
Posted project update #15Back
As my friend and colleague Scott Stantis told me, "There were lots of surprises. That makes it a good trip."
Steven Cloud, Matt Bors and I are back home in the U.S. I was prolific, and editors advised me to build a delay into later blog entries for security reasons, so there are still some more Afghan Notebook cartoons in the pipeline. There will be 47 in all, ending roughly September 15th.
While memories are fresh I'm getting to work on compiling and adding to the book for Hill & Wang, part of Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. We're aiming for a Spring 2012 pub date, but that's sooner than you think…I need to finish the book within the next six months.
So—what did I find out?
Nothing beats seeing things for yourself, and this was no exception. First and foremost, I was shocked to learn that we were the first Americans the Afghans we saw had ever met. How was this possible? The U.S. has occupied this country for nine years. How could shopkeepers have never sold a Coke to a U.S. soldier? A journalist? An NGO worker? After a few weeks "in country," as they say, it became obvious that they were telling the truth. Journalists and soldiers travel in heavily-armed convoys, decked out in body armor. They zoom by, honking their horns and threatening to shoot anyone who doesn't get out of the way quickly enough. They don't walk the streets. They certainly don't hang out with Afghans. No wonder we don't know what's going on.
The infrastructure situation was better than reported. Roads have been paved, bridges rebuilt, cellphone service established more widely than in many places in the U.S. Still, it's not nearly enough, especially considering the billions that have been poured in over there. Corruption and incompetence are rampant.
The security situation is not as bad as people think. It's certainly not like 2001, when it was "Mad Max." Americans thought it was OK then, and worse now. Actually, it's the opposite. But it's still not safe. What has changed is that the Taliban roam unchallenged in rural areas. They effectively control 85 percent of the country, everything outside the big cities. But it's by choice. The U.S. has no presence in the vast majority of the country, and has no role in providing basic security. It sees Afghanistan as a military problem. Actually, it is a nation-building problem. Also, the quality of NGO workers and journalists is worse than in 2001. This generation of Afghan hands are cowards. Like everyone else, Afghans despise cowards.
Right now, Afghans are staring into the abyss. They know we're pulling out. The new generation of Taliban are infinitely more frightening than the old Islamist-but-honest variety. These are gangsters, kidnappers, rapists, Talibs in name only. Apres nous, la deluge.
I'll be posting private excerpts from the upcoming book to Kickstarter contributors exclusively.
P.S. My new book, "The Anti-American Manifesto," hits bookstores this week.
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Alan Hartley on September 12, 2010
I've been enjoying the comics very much, and am also glad you made it back OK. Good luck on the rest of it!
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Andy Baio on September 13, 2010
Loved the comics... Were you able to get any more info about Jovid or the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline?
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Lhotze on September 13, 2010
Glad you guys are not dead and/or rotting in a damp and dark place. BUT I do wish you could have been able to get to the South West of Afghanistan which I thought was one of your objectives.
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on August 5, 2010
Ted Rall
Posted project update #14First Afghan Blog Posted
Post CommentI am not in Afghanistan yet, but am drawing some introductory cartoon blogs to set the scene. The first one just went up at EurasiaNet.org. You can check there as well as at http://rall.com/rallblog for daily updates.
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on July 30, 2010
Ted Rall
commented on a project updateAlready did. I brought back anti-aircraft shells the last time.
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on July 29, 2010
Ted Rall
commented on a project updateSaheli, yes, you can always go to rall.com and contribute. Thanks! LOL on Andy
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on July 29, 2010
Ted Rall
Posted project update #13Off to Afghanistan!
The visas have been acquired: Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and even the much coveted Iranian visa. It was touch and go there for a while: we had to shell out over 3,000 euros to an Iranian fixer just to score the visa, which just got us the document today. And I leave Sunday.
Equipment has been purchased: sleep sacks, backpacks, water purification tablets, Starbucks individual instant coffees, antibiotics, antidiarrhea medications. Satellite equipment has been rented. Solar panels and batteries and video cameras--all the stuff you need to document such a trip and transmit the results.
Tickets have been purchased: New York to Mumbai, Mumbai to Dubai, Dubai to Dushanbe.
Total cost so far: $35,000 plus.
And now I'm leaving Sunday.
I'll start filing the cartoon blogs around August 10, and will enter Afghanistan from Tajikistan, toward Taloqan (which may or not be controlled by the Taliban when we arrive) on August 13. If you contributed, you'll get the blog via Stephanie McMillan, who is my stateside liaison for distribution.
That's the plan, anyway. I'm going with Matt Bors and Steven Cloud, fellow cartoonists and bon vivants.
Oh, and the beard. The beard is looking good, I think, but judge for yourself.
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on July 1, 2010
Ted Rall
commented on a projectHi Lee, Afraid not. I'm not a 501(c)3, just a cartoonist heading off to a place that is scary and hot and fun and weird. Best, Ted
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on June 22, 2010
Ted Rall
Posted project update #12Week Three: The Beard
The beard is now entering its third glorious week. The itching has stopped, mostly, and I've just learned about the need to trim the lower mustache to avoid an uncomfortable feeling on my lip. All in all, not a bad first effort. I leave for Asia on August 1 and enter Afghanistan August 13.
On the diplomatic front, I believe it's important to have as many options as possible to exit Afghanistan in the event things turn ugly. August is shaping up to be THE major crunch time for the US occupation, the possible turning point militarily, so anything could happen. And when things happen in Afghanistan, events unfold in minutes and hours. Because our route takes us along the northern and western edges of the country, exiting via Kabul and flying out could be difficult—there is a knot of huge mountains between Kabul and where we'll be. So the best exit points are either to double back into Tajikistan, leave Mazar-i-Sharif across the Friendship Bridge at Termiz into Uzbekistan, enter Turkmenistan north or Herat, or out into Iran at Zaranj.
We have the visas now for Afghanistan and Tajikistan. We have applied to Iran, but that takes a month. We're now waiting to hear back from the Uzbeks. We can't start the process re: Turkmenistan until early July because of the vagaries of their timing protocols.
I'm in Portland today and will be hitting REI for some roughing-it-related supplies.
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Sean Michael McGhee on June 22, 2010
Ok - now Judd Nelson has something to worry about:-)
Well done Effendi...man I wish my beard was still dark...
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on June 13, 2010
Ted Rall
Posted project update #11Beard, Week Two
Post CommentWherein your humble hirsute narrator presents, for all to see and regale, the result of 14 days of non shaving in preparation for his August trip back to Afghanistan.
We have our Tajik visas now. The Afghan ones should be ready next week. Iran requires a month, and we're thinking about getting Uzbek visas just in case we need to get out of Dodge (or more accurately Mazar-i-Sharif) in a hurry. I'll be in Portland this week for the editorial cartoonists convention and will go shopping for outdoor equipment there with Matt Bors.
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Ted Rall
New York, NY
Inspired after meeting pop artist Keith Haring in a Manhattan subway station in 1986, guerrilla editorial cartoonist Rall began posting his cartoons on New York City streets. In 1991, Rall's cartoons were signed for national syndication. He has been wit... view more
Thanks for the update Ted - very much looking forward to the book...