The Kite Runner

3/12/2016 The Kite Runner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kite Runner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-

The Kite Runner
American author Khaled Hosseini.[1] Published in 2003
by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young
boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul,
whose closest friend is Hassan, his father's young
Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of
tumultuous events, from the fall of Afghanistan's
monarchy through the Soviet military intervention, the
exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States,
and the rise of the Taliban regime.
Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite

Runner to be a father–son story, emphasizing the
familial aspects of the narrative, an element that he
continued to use in his later works.[2] Themes of guilt
and redemption feature prominently in the novel,[3] with
a pivotal scene depicting an act of violence against
Hassan that Amir fails to prevent. The latter half of the
book centers on Amir's attempts to atone for this
transgression by rescuing Hassan's son over two First edition cover (US hardback)
decades later. Khaled Hosseini
Author
The Kite Runner became a bestseller after being Cover artist Honi Werner
printed in paperback and was popularized in book Country United States
clubs. It was a number one New York Times bestseller
Language English
for over two years,[4] with over seven million copies
Genre Historical fiction
sold in the United States.[5] Reviews were generally
Drama
positive, though parts of the plot drew significant
controversy in Afghanistan. A number of adaptations Publisher Riverhead Books
were created following publication, including a 2007 film Publication May 29, 2003
of the same name, several stage performances, and a date
graphic novel. 1-57322-245-3
ISBN
OCLC 51615359
(https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51615359)
Contents
Dewey 813/.6 21
Decimal
1 Composition and publication LC Class PS3608.O832 K58 2003
2 Plot summary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kite_Runner 1/11
2.1 Part I
2.2 Part II
2.3 Part III
3 Characters
4 Themes
5 Critical reception
5.1 General
5.2 Controversies
6 Adaptations
6.1 Film
6.2 Other
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Composition and publication

Khaled Hosseini worked as a medical internist at Kaiser Hospital in Mountain View,
California for several years before publishing The Kite Runner.[3][6][7] In 1999, he
learned through a news report that the Taliban had banned kite flying in
Afghanistan,[8] a restriction he found particularly cruel.[9] The news "struck a
personal chord" for him, as he had grown up with the sport while living in
Afghanistan. He was motivated to write a 25-page short story about two boys who
fly kites in Kabul.[8] Hosseini submitted copies to Esquire and The New Yorker,
both of which rejected it.[9] He rediscovered the manuscript in his garage in March
2001 and began to expand it to novel format at the suggestion of a friend.[8][9]
According to Hosseini, the narrative became "much darker" than he originally
Khaled Hosseini, 2007 intended.[8] His editor, Cindy Spiegel, "helped him rework the last third of his
manuscript", something she describes as relatively common for a first novel.[9]
As with Hosseini's subsequent novels, The Kite Runner covers a multigenerational period and focuses on the
relationship between parents and their children.[2] The latter was unintentional; Hosseini developed an interest in the
theme while in the process of writing.[2] He later divulged that he frequently came up with pieces of the plot by
drawing pictures of it.[7] For example, he did not decide to make Amir and Hassan brothers until after he had
"doodled it".[7]
Like Amir, the protagonist of the novel, Hosseini was born in Afghanistan and left the country as a youth, not
returning until 2003.[10] Thus, he was frequently questioned about the extent of the autobiographical aspects of the
book.[9] In response, he said, "When I say some of it is me, then people look unsatisfied. The parallels are pretty
obvious, but ... I left a few things ambiguous because I wanted to drive the book clubs crazy."[9] Having left the
country around the time of the Soviet invasion, he felt a certain amount of survivor's guilt: "Whenever I read stories
about Afghanistan my reaction was always tinged with guilt. A lot of my childhood friends had a very hard time.
Some of our cousins died. One died in a fuel truck trying to escape Afghanistan [an incident that Hosseini
fictionalises in The Kite Runner]. Talk about guilt. He was one of the kids I grew up with flying kites. His father
was shot."[2][11] Regardless, he maintains that the plot is fictional.[8] Later, when writing his second novel, A
Thousand Splendid Suns (then titled Dreaming in Titanic City), Hosseini remarked that he was happy that the
main characters were women as it "should put the end to the autobiographical question once and for all".[9]
Riverhead Books published The Kite Runner, ordering an initial printing of 50,000 copies in hardback.[9][12] It
was released on May 29, 2003, and the paperback edition was released a year later.[9][13] Hosseini took a year-
long absence from practicing medicine to promote the book, signing copies, speaking at various events, and raising
funds for Afghan causes.[9] Originally published in English, The Kite Runner was later translated into 42 languages
for publication in 38 countries.[14] In 2013, Riverhead released the 10th anniversary edition with a new gold-
rimmed cover and a foreword by Hosseini.[15] That same year, on May 21, Khaled Hosseini published another
book called And the Mountains Echoed.
Following The Kite Runner's success, Hosseini continued to work as a physician for another year and a half before
becoming a full-time writer.[16] "Medicine was an arranged marriage, writing is my mistress," he explains, employing
a quote from Chekhov.[7]
Plot summary
Part I
Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara who is the son of Ali, Amir's father's servant, spend their
days kite fighting in the hitherto peaceful city of Kabul. Hassan is a successful "kite runner" for Amir; he knows
where the kite will land without watching it. Amir's father, a wealthy merchant Amir affectionately refers to as Baba,
loves both boys, but is often critical of Amir, considering him weak and lacking in courage. Amir finds a kinder
fatherly figure in Rahim Khan, Baba's closest friend, who understands him and supports his interest in writing.
Assef, an older boy with a sadistic taste for violence, mocks Amir for socializing with a Hazara, which is, according
to Assef, an inferior race whose members belong only in Hazarajat. One day, he prepares to attack Amir with
brass knuckles, but Hassan defends Amir, threatening to shoot out Assef's eye with his slingshot. Assef backs off
but swears to get revenge.

but swears to get revenge.
One triumphant day, Amir wins the local kite fighting tournament and
finally earns Baba's praise. Hassan runs for the last cut kite, a great
trophy, saying to Amir, "For you, a thousand times over." However, after
finding the kite, Hassan encounters Assef in an alleyway. Hassan refuses
to give up the kite, and Assef beats him severely and rapes him. Amir
witnesses the act but is too scared to intervene. He knows that if he fails
to bring home the kite, Baba would be less proud of him. He feels
incredibly guilty but knows his cowardice would destroy any hopes for Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in
Baba's affections, so he keeps quiet about the incident. Afterwards, Amir Kabul, setting of Part I
keeps distant from Hassan; his feelings of guilt prevent him from
interacting with the boy.
Amir begins to believe that life would be easier if Hassan were not around, so he plants a watch and some money
under Hassan's mattress in hopes that Baba will make him leave; Hassan falsely confesses when confronted by
Baba. Although Baba believes "there is no act more wretched than stealing", he forgives him. To Baba's sorrow,
Hassan and Ali leave anyway. Amir is freed of the daily reminder of his cowardice and betrayal, but he still lives in
their shadow.
Part II
In 1979, five years later, the Soviet Union militarily intervenes in Afghanistan. Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar,
Pakistan, and then to Fremont, California, where they settle in a run-down apartment. Baba begins work at a gas
station. After graduating from high school, Amir takes classes at San Jose State University to develop his writing
skills. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. There,
Amir meets fellow refugee Soraya Taheri and her family. Baba is diagnosed with terminal cancer but is still capable
of granting Amir one last favor: he asks Soraya's father's permission for Amir to marry her. He agrees and the two
marry. Shortly thereafter Baba dies. Amir and Soraya settle down in a happy marriage, but to their sorrow they
learn that they cannot have children.
Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist. Fifteen years after his wedding, Amir receives a call from Rahim
Khan, who is dying, asking him to come to Peshawar. He enigmatically tells Amir, "There is a way to be good
again." Amir goes.
Part III
From Rahim Khan, Amir learns that Ali was killed by a land mine and that Hassan and his wife were killed after
Hassan refused to allow the Taliban to confiscate Baba and Amir's house in Kabul. Rahim Khan further reveals that
Ali, being sterile, was not Hassan's biological father. Hassan was actually Baba's son and Amir's half-brother.
Finally, he tells Amir that the reason he called Amir to Pakistan was to rescue Sohrab, Hassan's son, from an
orphanage in Kabul.
Amir, accompanied by Farid, an Afghan taxi driver and veteran of the war with the Soviets, searches for Sohrab.
They learn that a Taliban official comes to the orphanage often, brings cash, and usually takes a girl away with him.
Occasionally he chooses a boy, recently Sohrab. The director tells Amir how to find the official, and Farid secures
an appointment at his home by claiming to have "personal business" with him.
Amir meets the man, who reveals himself as Assef. Sohrab is being kept at Assef's house. Assef agrees to
relinquish him if Amir can beat him in a fight. Assef then badly beats Amir, breaking several bones, until Sohrab
uses a slingshot to fire a brass ball into Assef's left eye. Sohrab helps Amir out of the house, where he passes out
and wakes up in a hospital.
Amir tells Sohrab of his plans to take him back to America and possibly adopt him. However, American authorities
demand evidence of Sohrab's orphan status. Amir tells Sohrab that he may have to temporarily break his promise
until the paperwork is completed, and Sohrab attempts suicide. Amir eventually manages to take him back to the
United States. After his adoption, Sohrab refuses to interact with Amir or Soraya until the former reminisces about
Hassan and kites and shows off some of Hassan's tricks. In the end, Sohrab only gives a lopsided smile, but Amir
takes it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab, saying, "For you, a thousand times over."
Characters
Amir is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Khaled Hosseini acknowledged that the character is "an
unlikable coward who failed to come to the aid of his best friend" for much of the duration of the story;
consequently, Hosseini chose to create sympathy for Amir through circumstances rather than the personality
he was given until the last third of the book.[17] Born into a Pashtun family in 1963, his mother died giving
birth. As a child, he enjoys storytelling and is encouraged by Rahim Khan to become an author. At age 18,
he and his father flee to America following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, where he pursues his dream of
being a writer.
Hassan is Amir's closest childhood friend. He is described as having a China doll face, green eyes, and a
harelip. Hosseini regards him as a flat character in terms of development; he is "a lovely guy and you root for
him and you love him but he's not complicated".[16] The reader eventually discovers that Hassan is actually
the son of Baba and Sanaubar, although Hassan never discovers this during his lifetime. Moreover, it would
make Hassan a Pashtun according to tribal law and not Hazara as he's actually the son of Baba, and ironic
for Assef to bully him as both Assef and Hassan are half Pashtuns. Hassan is later killed by the Taliban for
refusal to abandon Amir's property.
Assef is the main antagonist of the novel. He is the son of a Pashtun father and a German mother, and
believes that Pashtuns are superior to Hazaras, despite himself not being full Pashtun. As a teenager, he is a
neighborhood bully and is described as a "sociopath" by Amir. He rapes Hassan as a means of getting
revenge against Amir. As an adult, he joins the Taliban and abuses Hassan's son, Sohrab.
Baba is Amir's father and a wealthy businessman who aids the community by creating businesses for others
and building a new orphanage. He is the biological father of Hassan, a fact he hides from both of his children,
and seems to favor him over Amir. Similar to Hosseini's father,[11] Baba does not endorse the religiosity
demanded by the clerics in the religion classes attended by Amir in school. In his later years, after fleeing to
America, he works at a gas station. He dies from cancer in 1987, shortly after Amir and Soraya's wedding.
Ali is Baba's servant, a Hazara believed to be Hassan's father. In his youth, Baba's father adopted him after
his parents were killed by a drunk driver. Before the events of the novel, Ali had been struck with polio,
rendering his right leg useless. Because of this, Ali is constantly tormented by children in the town. He is later
killed by a land mine in Hazarajat.
Rahim Khan is Baba's loyal friend and business partner, as well as a mentor to Amir. Rahim persuades
Amir to come to Pakistan to inform him that Hassan is his half brother and that he should rescue Sohrab. He
later dies peacefully.
Soraya is a young Afghan woman whom Amir meets and marries in America. Hosseini originally scripted the
character as an American woman, but he later agreed to rewrite her as an Afghan immigrant after his editor
did not find her background believable for her role in the story.[18] The change contributed towards an
extensive revision of Part III.[18] In the final draft, Soraya lives with her parents, Afghan general Taheri and
his wife, and wants to become an English teacher. Before meeting Amir, she ran away with an Afghan
boyfriend in Virginia, which, according to Afghan tradition, made her unsuitable for marriage. Because Amir
also had his own regrets, he loves and marries her anyway.
Sohrab is the son of Hassan. After his parents are killed and he is sent to an orphanage, Assef buys and
abuses the child. Amir saves and later adopts him. After being brought to the United States, he slowly adapts
to his new life. Sohrab greatly resembles a young version of his father Hassan.
Sanaubar is Ali's wife and the mother of Hassan. Shortly after Hassan's birth, she runs away from home and
joins a group of traveling dancers. She later returns to Hassan in his adulthood. To make up for her neglect,
she provides a grandmother figure for Sohrab, Hassan's son.
Farid is a taxi driver who is initially abrasive toward Amir, but later befriends him. Two of Farid's seven
children were killed by a land mine, a disaster which mutilated three fingers on his left hand and also took
some of his toes. After spending a night with Farid's brother's impoverished family, Amir hides a bundle of
money under the mattress to help them.
Themes
Because its themes of friendship, betrayal, guilt, redemption and the uneasy love between fathers and
sons are universal themes, and not specifically Afghan, the book has been able to reach across
cultural, racial, religious and gender gaps to resonate with readers of varying backgrounds.
— Khaled Hosseini, 2005[3]
Khaled Hosseini identifies a number of themes that appear in The Kite Runner, but reviewers have focused on guilt
and redemption.[9][11][19] As a child, Amir fails to save Hassan in an act of cowardice and afterwards suffers from
an all-consuming guilt. Even after leaving the country, moving to America, marrying, and becoming a successful
writer, he is unable to forget the incident. Hassan is "the all-sacrificing Christ-figure, the one who, even in death,
calls Amir to redemption".[19] Following Hassan's death at the hands of the Taliban, Amir begins to redeem himself
through the rescue of Hassan's son, Sohrab.[20] Hosseini draws parallels during the search for Sohrab to create an
impression of poetic justice; for example, Amir sustains a split lip after being severely beaten, similar to Hassan's
harelip.[20] Despite this, some critics questioned whether the protagonist had fully redeemed himself.[21]
Amir's motivation for the childhood betrayal is rooted in his insecurities regarding his relationship with his father.[22]
The relationship between parents and their children features prominently in the novel, and in an interview, Hosseini
elaborated:
Both [The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns] are multigenerational, and so the
relationship between parent and child, with all of its manifest complexities and contradictions, is a
prominent theme. I did not intend this, but I am keenly interested, it appears, in the way parents and
children love, disappoint, and in the end honor each other. In one way, the two novels are corollaries:
The Kite Runner was a father-son story, and A Thousand Splendid Suns can be seen as a mother-
daughter story.[2]
When adapting The Kite Runner for the theatre, Director Eric Rose stated that he was drawn into the narrative by
the "themes of betraying your best friend for the love of your father", which he compared to Shakespearean
literature.[23] Throughout the story, Amir craves his father's affection;[22] his father, in turn, loves Amir but favors
Hassan,[20] going as far as to pay for plastic surgery to repair the latter's cleft lip.[24]
Critical reception
General
In the first two years following its publication, over 70,000 hardback
copies of The Kite Runner were sold along with 1,250,000 paperback
copies.[3] Though the book sold well in hardback, "Kite Runner's
popularity didn't really begin to soar until [2004] when the paperback
edition came out, which is when book clubs began picking it up."[9] It
started appearing on best seller lists in September 2004 and became a
number one New York Times best seller in March 2005,[3] maintaining
its place on the list for two years.[4] By the publication of Khaled
First Lady Laura Bush with Khaled
Hosseini's third novel in 2013, over seven million copies had been sold in
Hosseini (first and second to the left);
Bush praised The Kite Runner as the United States.[5] The book received the South African Boeke Prize in
2004. It was voted the Reading Group Book of the Year for 2006 and
"really great". [25]
2007 and headed a list of 60 titles submitted by entrants to the
Penguin/Orange Reading Group prize (UK).[26][27]
Critically, the book was well-received, albeit controversial. Erika Milvy from Salon praised it as "beautifully written,
startling and heart wrenching".[28] Tony Sims from Wired Magazine wrote that the book "reveals the beauty and
agony of a tormented nation as it tells the story of an improbable friendship between two boys from opposite ends
of society, and of the troubled but enduring relationship between a father and a son".[29] Amelia Hill of The
Guardian opinionated, "The Kite Runner is the shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini" that "is simultaneously
devastating and inspiring."[22] A similarly favorable review was printed in Publishers Weekly.[13] Marketing
director Melissa Mytinger remarked, "It's simply an excellent story. Much of it based in a world we don't know, a
world we're barely beginning to know. Well-written, published at the 'right time' by an author who is both charming
and thoughtful in his personal appearances for the book."[3] Indian-American actor Aasif Mandvi agreed that the
book was "amazing storytelling. ... It's about human beings. It's about redemption, and redemption is a powerful
theme."[9] First Lady Laura Bush commended the story as "really great".[25] Said Tayeb Jawad, the 19th Afghan
ambassador to the United States, publicly endorsed The Kite Runner, saying that the book would help the
American public to better understand Afghan society and culture.[9]
Edward Hower from The New York Times analyzed the portrayal of Afghanistan before and after the Taliban:
Hosseini's depiction of pre-revolutionary Afghanistan is rich in warmth and humor but also tense with
the friction between the nation's different ethnic groups. Amir's father, or Baba, personifies all that is
reckless, courageous and arrogant in his dominant Pashtun tribe ... The novel's canvas turns dark
when Hosseini describes the suffering of his country under the tyranny of the Taliban, whom Amir
encounters when he finally returns home, hoping to help Hassan and his family. The final third of the
book is full of haunting images: a man, desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in
the market; an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; a
rouged young boy forced into prostitution, dancing the sort of steps once performed by an organ
grinder's monkey.[24]
Meghan O'Rouke, Slate Magazine's culture critic and advisory editor, ultimately found The Kite Runner
mediocre, writing, "This is a novel simultaneously striving to deliver a large-scale informative portrait and to stage a
small-scale redemptive drama, but its therapeutic allegory of recovery can only undermine its realist ambitions.
People experience their lives against the backdrop of their culture, and while Hosseini wisely steers clear of merely
exoticizing Afghanistan as a monolithically foreign place, he does so much work to make his novel emotionally
accessible to the American reader that there is almost no room, in the end, for us to consider for long what might
differentiate Afghans and Americans."[25] Sarah Smith from The Guardian thought the novel started out well but
began to falter towards the end. She felt that Hosseini was too focused on fully redeeming the protagonist in Part III
and in doing so created too many unrealistic coincidences that allowed Amir the opportunity to undo his past
wrongs.[20]
Controversies
The Kite Runner has been accused of 'hindering' Western understanding of the Talibans by portraying its members
as representatives of various social and doctrinal evils that the Talibans and their supporters do not consider typical
and which they feel portray Talibans in an unfavourable light. Examples of this would be: Assef's pedophilia,
Nazism, drug abuse, and sadism, and the fact that he is an executioner.[30] The American Library Association
reported that The Kite Runner was one of its most-challenged books of 2008, with multiple attempts to remove it
from libraries due to "offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group."[31] Afghan American readers
were particularly hostile towards the depiction of Pashtuns as oppressors and Hazaras as the oppressed.[11]
Hosseini responded in an interview, "They never say I am speaking about things that are untrue. Their beef is, 'Why
do you have to talk about these things and embarrass us? Don't you love your country?'"[11]
The film generated more controversy through the 30-second rape scene, with threats made against the child actors,
who originated from Afghanistan.[28] Zakria Ebrahimi, the 12-year-old actor who portrayed Amir, had to be
removed from school after his Hazara classmates threatened to kill him,[32] and Paramount Pictures was eventually
forced to relocate three of the children to the United Arab Emirates.[28] Afghanistan's Ministry of Culture banned
the film from distribution in cinemas or DVD stores, citing the possibility that the movie's ethnically charged rape
scene could incite racial violence within Afghanistan.[33]
Adaptations
Film
Four years after its publication, The Kite Runner was adapted as a
motion picture starring Khalid Abdalla as Amir, Homayoun Ershadi as
Baba, and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada as Hassan. It was initially
scheduled to premiere in November 2007, but the release date was
pushed back six weeks to evacuate the Afghan child stars from the
country after they received death threats.[34] Directed by Marc Forster
and with a screenplay by David Benioff, the movie won numerous
awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, the BAFTA Film
Award, and the Critics Choice Award in 2008.[35] While reviews were
generally positive, with Entertainment Weekly deeming the final product Khaled Hosseini with actors of The
"pretty good", [36] the depiction of ethnic tensions and the controversial Kite Runner, Bahram and Elham
[34]
rape scene drew outrage in Afghanistan. Hangama Anwari, the child Ehsas
rights commissioner for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission, commented, "They should not play around with the lives and security of people. The Hazara people
will take it as an insult."[34]
Hosseini was surprised by the extent of the controversy caused by the rape scene and vocalized that Afghan actors
would not have been cast had studios known that their lives would be threatened.[28] He believed that the scene
was necessary to "maintain the integrity" of the story, as a physical assault by itself would not have affected the
audience as much.[28]
Other
The novel was first adapted to the stage in March 2007 by Bay Area playwright Matthew Spangler where it was
performed at San Jose State University.[37] Two years later, David Ira Goldstein, artistic director of Arizona
Theater Company, organized for it to be performed at San Jose Repertory Theatre. The play was produced at
Arizona Theatre Company in 2009, Actor's Theatre of Louisville and Cleveland Play House in 2010, and The New
Repertory Theatre of Watertown, Massachusetts in 2012. The theatre adaption premiered in Canada as a co-
production between Theatre Calgary and the Citadel Theatre in January 2013. In April 2013, the play premiered in
Europe at the Nottingham Playhouse, with Ben Turner acting in the lead role.[38]
Hosseini was approached by Piemme, his Italian publisher, about converting The Kite Runner to a graphic novel in
2011. Having been "a fan of comic books since childhood", he was open to the idea, believing that The Kite
Runner was a good candidate to be presented in a visual format.[29] Fabio Celoni provided the illustrations for the
project and regularly updated Hosseini on his progress before its release in September of that year.[29] The latter
was pleased with the final product and said, "I believe Fabio Celoni's work vividly brings to life not only the
mountains, the bazaars, the city of Kabul and its kite-dotted skies, but also the many struggles, conflicts, and
emotional highs and lows of Amir's journey."[29]
See also
16 Days in Afghanistan
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini's second novel)
References
1. Noor, R.; Hosseini, Khaled (September–December 2004). "The Kite Runner". World Literature Today 78 (3/4):
148. doi:10.2307/40158636.
2. "An interview with Khaled Hosseini". Book Browse. 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
3. Guthmann, Edward (March 14, 2005). "Before 'The Kite Runner,' Khaled Hosseini had never written a novel. But
with word of mouth, book sales have taken off". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
4. Italie, Hillel (October 29, 2012). "‘Kite Runner’ author to debut new novel next year". NBC News. Retrieved
July 31, 2013.
5. "Siblings' Separation Haunts In 'Kite Runner' Author's Latest". NPR. May 19, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
6. Jain, Saudamini (May 24, 2013). "COVER STORY: the Afghan story teller Khaled Hosseini". Hindustan Times.
Retrieved July 31, 2013.
7. Miller, David (June 7, 2013). "Khaled Hosseni author of Kite Runner talks about his mistress: Writing". Loveland
Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
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9. Wilson, Craig (April 18, 2005). "'Kite Runner' catches the wind". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
10. Grossman, Lev (May 17, 2007). "The Kite Runner Author Returns Home". Time Magazine. Retrieved July 30,
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11. Young, Lucie (May 19, 2007). "Despair in Kabul". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
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13. "The Kite Runner". Publishers Weekly. May 12, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
14. Tonkin, Boyd (February 28, 2008). "Is the Arab world ready for a literary revolution?". The Independent. Retrieved
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15. Deutsch, Lindsay (February 28, 2013). "Book Buzz: 'Kite Runner' celebrates 10th anniversary". USA Today.
Retrieved August 11, 2013.
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Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
17. Kakutani, Michiko (May 29, 2007). "A Woman's Lot in Kabul, Lower Than a House Cat's". The New York Times.
18. Wyatt, Edward (December 15, 2004). "Wrenching Tale by an Afghan Immigrant Strikes a Chord". The New York
Times. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
19. Rankin-Brown, Maria (January 7, 2008). "The Kite Runner: Is Redemption Truly Free?". Spectrum Magazine.
20. Smith, Sarah (October 3, 2003). "From harelip to split lip". The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
21. Thompson, Harvey (March 25, 2008). "The Kite Runner: the Afghan tragedy goes unexplained". WSWS. Retrieved
August 1, 2013.
22. Hill, Amelia (September 6, 2003). "An Afghan hounded by his past". The Guardian. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
23. Roe, John (February 4, 2013). "The Kite Runner". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
24. Hower, Edward (August 3, 2003). "The Servant". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
25. O'Rourke, Meghan (July 25, 2005). "Do I really have to read 'The Kite Runner'?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved
July 30, 2013.
26. Lea, Richard (7 August 2006). "Word-of-mouth success gets reading group vote". The Guardian. Guardian News
and Media Limited. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
27. Pauli, Michelle (August 15, 2007). "Kite Runner is reading group favourite for second year running".
guardian.co.uk (London). Retrieved April 23, 2009.
28. Milvy, Erika (December 9, 2007). "The "Kite Runner" controversy". Salon. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
29. Sims, Tony (September 30, 2011). "GeekDad Interview: Khaled Hosseini, Author of The Kite Runner". Wired.
30. Sengupta, Kim (October 24, 2008). "Butcher and Bolt, By David Loyn". The Independent Books (London).
31. "Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008, by ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom". ALA Issues and
Advocacy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
32. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson (July 2, 2008). "'Kite Runner' Star's Family Feels Exploited By Studio". All Things
Considered. National Public Radio.
33. "'The Kite Runner' Film Outlawed in Afghanistan". The New York Times. January 16, 2008. Retrieved March 10,
2010.
34. Halbfinger, David (October 4, 2007). "'The Kite Runner' Is Delayed to Protect Child Stars". The New York Times.
35. "Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards". goldenglobes.org. December 13, 2007.
Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
36. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (January 9, 2008). "The Kite Runner". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
37. "'Kite Runner' floats across SJSU stage on Friday night". Spartan Daily. February 22, 2007. Retrieved April 23,
2009.
38. "Review: The Kite Runner/Liverpool Playhouse". Liverpool Confidential. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
External links
Official website of author Khaled Hosseini
Wikiquote has quotations
(http://khaledhosseini.com/) related to: The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini discusses The Kite Runner
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/page3.shtml) on the BBC World Book
Club
Article on the novel at Let's Talk about Bollywood (http://www.letstalkaboutbollywood.com/article-
28020036.html)
Excerpts: Excerpt at ereader.com
(http://web.archive.org/web/20080111144812/http://www.ereader.com/product/book/excerpt/20781?
book=The_Kite_Runner) Excerpt at litstudies.org
(http://www.litstudies.org/MemoirWriting/an_excerpt_of_the_kite_runner.htm) Excerpt at today.com
(http://www.today.com/id/22214165/)
Book Drum illustrated profile of The Kite Runner (http://www.bookdrum.com/books/the-kite-
runner/9780747566533/index.html)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Kite_Runner&oldid=709425535"
Categories: 2003 novels 21st-century American novels Debut novels Afghan literature Rape in fiction
American novels adapted into films Novels set in Afghanistan Riverhead Books books
Novels by Khaled Hosseini Novels adapted into plays
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3/12/2016 The Kite Runner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kite Runner is the first novel by Afghan-

Hosseini has commented that he considers The Kite

1 Composition and publication LC Class PS3608.O832 K58 2003

2.3 Part III

Composition and publication

but swears to get revenge.

but swears to get revenge.

— Khaled Hosseini, 2005[3]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Kite_Runner&oldid=709425535"

This page was last modified on 10 March 2016, at 21:14.

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