Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini, the celebrated author of bestselling novels The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed, has quickly established himself as one of the most successful and influential literary voices of the twenty-first century. In addition to having an extensive readership, he is also highly respected for his humanitarian work and service as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency in general and for Afghanistan in particular.

Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965 and moved to the United States at the age of 11. His parents originally moved to San Jose, California and later to the nearby city of Fremont, where he completed high school. After graduating, Hosseini received a degree in biology at Santa Clara University and attended medical school in California. He later chose to practice medicine rather than pursue writing full-time until the success of his first novel, The Kite Runner, in 2003.

The Kite Runner, which has been translated into more than forty languages, is set against a backdrop of Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and mujahideen period. It follows the story of Amir, an Afghan American boy living in California with his father, who must confront a disturbing childhood incident that continues to haunt him years later. The novel has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Alex Awards from the American Library Association and the Heartland Prize for Fiction, and has been a staple of many high school and college literature classes.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is Hosseini’s second novel and follows the lives of two Afghan women, both of whom must cope with the consequences of a brutal and repressive society. Since its release in 2007, it has won numerous awards, including the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and has also been added to many literature syllabi.

Hosseini’s third novel, And the Mountains Echoed, which came out in 2013, takes a more expansive view of his home country by setting it in multiple locations across the world. It follows the intertwined lives of two brothers and their extended family through the decades and has received widespread critical acclaim.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Hosseini has been an active supporter of humanitarian causes, especially issues related to children’s rights and education. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency, which works to provide aid and protection to forcibly displaced communities, and has also served on the board of the Save the Children foundation since 2005.

Hosseini’s novels have introduced readers across the world to his beloved Afghanistan, revealing a complex and often overlooked culture. He is an example of artistic excellence and global humanitarianism, a reminder that our own lives and stories are inextricably intertwined with those of people around the world.