Over the last four years, I have traveled across the country and met with thousands of readers like you, who showed up to hear me speak about The Kite Runner. I have received countless letters and e-mails in support of The Kite Runner, and have always been moved by how passionately readers continue to embrace my first novel. -- Khaled Hosseini
The Afghan people love kite flying. When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan they banned kite flying, music, singing, dancing; women, when they were permitted to leave the household, were forced to wear the oppressive burkha.
In his debut novel, The Kite Runner (2003), Khaled Hosseini writes of the daily oppression and brutality of existence that is the lot of the Afghan people. Published to critical acclaim, The Kite Runner has become a world-wide best seller.
His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), is also set in Afghanistan.
Khaled Hosseini grew up as a child in a privileged position in Afghanistan. When the Soviets invaded in the 1970s, his family were forced to flee and sought political asylum in the United States.
Khaled Hosseini trained as a doctor and was practicing medicine up until The Kite Runner was published.
The Kite Runner was due to be released as a film November 2007, but had to be delayed due to fears for the safety of those who played the parts. David Benioff has written the screenplay. The film uses local children as actors, many of who have had since to be evacuated from Afghanistan for fears for their safety. The dialogue is in Persian, with English subtitles. The film was shot on location in China not Afghanistan, again due to fears over safety. [see 'Kite Runner' Boys Fear Afghan Backlash and Kite Runner boy star 'not safe']
A copy of The Kite Runner has been registered as a BookCrossing book. [see BCID 5543554]
BookCrossing books are released into the wild and their progress checked through the Internet via a unique BookCrossing ID (BCID).