The Afghan Queen: A True Story of an American Woman in Afghanistan

Lela Meinhardt, a tribal art trader in Afghanistan, traveled and traded with migratory Afghan tribes from 1975 to 1980, a time when Americans, and their money, were welcomed by the Afghan people. Lela's adventures, recorded in the letters she sent to her husband, Paul, are more the stuff of legend than a modern journey. To the people who knew her, Lela was heroic, gentle, caring, and a brilliant business woman. Her five years of travel provided not only self-discovery, but the museums and art world gained spectacular insight into the tribal art and culture of the Afghan people. She aided the migration of her Afghan friends and families and rescued a substantial part of the Afghan tribal art heritage. The Afghan Queen portrays Lela's experiences in the form of a novel. While an attempt is made to dramatize these experiences, everything in the book reflects true experiences. Included in the book is a full-color insert of photographs from Lela's travels and the art she acquired.About the AuthorPaul "Pauli" Meinhardt writes about his wife of forty-one years who survived a tank attack and five years of revolution, but succumbed to lymphoma cancer in 2000. Now remarried, Paul researches the twenty-first-century family, how crises and families affect each other, and the role of the family in the American economy. Always a political progressive and supporter of women's rights, Paul and Lela agreed to an "open marriage" during the time she traveled in Afghanistan. Paul's credentials reach almost to a Ph.D. and span many years of research and training in corporate America. He has worked in the family moonshine business, medical research, sales/marketing, computers/networking, auto auctions, and food marketing. Growing up on a reservation in southern Florida taught Paul the meaning of community and working together for survival. Currently living in northern New Jersey, Paul is working on three other books. His life experience is the basis for his writing.