Translating Turmoil from Trauma in Atiq Rahimi’s Patience Stone

From 1978 through 1989, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan were embroiled in one of the world's bloodiest wars. Since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and fell into direct battle with the Afghani people and mujahedeen, this struggle has been ongoing (rebels). The Soviet invasion exacerbated the pre-existing political instability in Afghanistan, leading to complete chaos. There was still no resolution to the crisis when the Soviet Union withdrew, and mujahedeen factions began fighting among themselves. This dissertation uses the contemporary Afghan-French author Atiq Rahimi's Prix Goncourt-winning work The Patience Stone to investigate the trauma experienced by women during the aforementioned conflict (2008). The anonymous protagonist and the insane lady, who are both minor characters, are meant to represent the women of Afghanistan who were caught in the crossfire of war, domestic abuse, religion, and patriarchy, and to show how their suffering manifested itself in their actions. This study analyses the text through the lens of the theories of famous trauma critics such as Dominick LaCapra (Writing History, Writing Trauma, 2001) and Cathy Caruth (Unclaimed Experiences, 1996).