The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini

The first novel written in English by an Afghan writer! helped alter the world’s perception of Afghanistan, by giving millions of readers their first real sense of what the Afghan people and their daily lives are actually like Sold in over 70 countries; published in over 40 languages PUBLISHED IN 2003

Hosseini ‘ wanted to write about Afghanistan before the Soviet war because that is largely a forgotten period in modern Afghan history. For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. ’ He explains: ‘ I wanted to remind people that Afghans had managed to live in peaceful anonymity for decades, that the history of the Afghans in the twentieth century has been largely peaceful and harmonious. ’ (Newsline Publications 2001 in Sherman 2006, p. 5) CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS

By 2008, the novel appeared on the American Library Association’s list of most-challenged books. The main reasons it was challenged were listed by the ALA as follows: “offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group” Some Afghans objected to Hosseini’s portrayal of ethnic prejudice in Afghanistan. Hosseini had no regrets, and hoped that his treatment of the subject would spark an overdue dialogue among his fellow countrymen. CONTROVERSY

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan in His family live in the affluent Wazir Akbar Khan District 1 st insight into injustices of his society—friendship with Hossein Khan, his family’s Hazara servant The son of a diplomat, his family received political asylum in the United States in 1980 after the Soviet Invasion. When Hosseini arrived with his family in San Jose, CA, he was 15 and spoke very little English. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY KHALED HOSSEINI

He graduated from high school in 1984, from Santa Clara University with a degree in biology in 1988, and from University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine with a MD in Hosseini worked for 10 years as a physician, specializing in internal medicine in Northern California. The Kite Runner was his first novel. It spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY, CNTD.

“It’s essential in both crafts to develop some insight into human nature. Writers and physicians need to understand to some extent the motivations behind behavior and appreciate how such things as a person’s upbringing, their culture, their biases, shape that person, whether it be a patient or a character in a story. Writers say the more you understand your characters, the better you can write them. Similarly, the more doctors understand their patients, the better they can help them. While on tour, one person raised…an important question: did writing help you become a better doctor? It did. I firmly believe that.” Source: Khaled Hosseini, “Khaled Hosseini: Physician Writers.” ON DOCTORS & WRITERS:

 Identity and Character Formation  The Importance of Father-Child Relationships  Status and Power (and Abuse of Power)  Prescribed Roles (gender, class, societal, etc.)  Loyalty/Betrayal  Selfishness/Sacrifice  Consequences of Secrets and Deception  The Effects of Guilt  Power of Literacy, Literature and Storytelling  The Immigrant Experience  Atonement/Redemption for Past Wrongdoings SOME MAJOR THEMES

What is friendship? What sacrifices should we be willing to make for our friends? What is destiny and what factors in life determine one’s destiny? Does an individual choose his or her own path in life or is it predetermined? How do a person’s actions affect his or her own destin y and the destinies of others? How do individuals cope with the reality of their lives? Are some secrets better left buried? Is deception ever morally justified? SOME CENTRAL QUESTIONS

To what extent is our identity determined by our culture? Are we merely products of our environment or can we break free from certain values we’ve been raised with and transcend our environment? Do our past mistakes define us? Can guilt be overcome? Can a person ever truly “be good again” after taking an action that causes irreparable harm to others? MORE CENTRAL QUESTIONS

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Writers and Their Works By Geoff Hamilton, Brian Jones ber/900/khaled-hosseini WORKS CITED