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Khaled Hosseini

ハリード・ホセイニ

Khaled Hosseini

Aliases: Khalid Husseini

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1965-03-04 （Kabul, Afghanistan）
Nationality
Afghanistan, United States
Languages
Dari, Pashto, English
Religion
Islam (secular)
Residence History
Kabul, Afghanistan → Tehran, Iran → Paris, France → San Jose, California, United States → Northern California, United States

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Physician
Active Years
2003-2024
Affiliations
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Khaled Hosseini Foundation
Influenced By
Rumi, Omar Khayyám, Abdul-Qādir Bēdil, Hafez, Jack London, Ahmad Zahir
Nominations
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature Longlist (2015)

Education

Santa Clara University
Biology
Degree: BS
Year of Graduation: 1988
Country: United States
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Medicine
Degree: MD
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: United States
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Internal Medicine
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: United States
Residency completed

Awards

Exclusive Books Boeke Prize
2004
Work: The Kite Runner
Organization: Exclusive Books
Result: Winner
California Book Award for Fiction
2007
Work: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Result: Silver Medal
British Book Award for Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year
2008
Work: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Result: Winner
Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Adult Fiction
2008
Work: The Kite Runner
Result: Winner
Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction
2013
Work: And the Mountains Echoed
Organization: Goodreads
Result: Winner
Golden Plate Award
2008
Organization: American Academy of Achievement
Result: Winner
John Steinbeck Award
2014
Organization: Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, San Jose State University
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Kite Runner

2003 Fiction 371 pages

The story of a young boy, Amir, struggling to form a deeper connection with his father and coping with memories of a traumatic childhood event. Set in Afghanistan and the San Francisco Bay Area.

familyfriendshipredemptionAfghanistan
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Kite Runner / Marc Forster (2007)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2007 Fiction 432 pages

The tale of two women, Mariam and Laila, whose lives become intertwined. Set during Afghanistan's transition from Soviet occupation to Taliban control.

womenwarfamilyAfghanistan

And the Mountains Echoed

2013 Fiction 417 pages

A multi-generational family story revolving around brothers and sisters, and the ways they love, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other.

familysacrifice

Sea Prayer

2018 Illustrated short story

An illustrated short story motivated by the drowning of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee.

refugees

Bibliography

  • The Kite Runner (2003)
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)
  • And the Mountains Echoed (2013)
  • Sea Prayer (2018)

Adaptations

  • The Kite Runner film adaptation (2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Poetry-influenced narrativeEmotional depth
Recurring Motifs
Family bondsAfghan cultureWar and exile

Health

  • Survivor's guilt
    1970年代後半-現在
    Guilt for leaving Afghanistan prior to the Soviet invasion and subsequent wars

Legacy

His novels have spread awareness about Afghanistan's people and culture, and he advocates for refugees.

Quotes

  • I am forever drawn to family as a recurring central theme of my writing.
    Source: Pre-release statement for And the Mountains Echoed (2013)

Trivia

  • Mixed Pashtun and Tajik ethnicity.
  • Father was a diplomat, mother a Persian teacher.
  • Immigrated to US at 15 and initially did not speak English.