Khaled Hosseini: Only a Storyteller

Let's face it: most of us have read the books, and some of us have seen the movie. We've laughed, we've cried... you know the rest. It makes you think that someone so intuitive about his Afghan culture would be a bit preachy about all the American presence in that country. You would be wrong. Khaled Hosseini is quite a modest man who is surprised at the success of his books. He simply states that he has been writing stories since he was a child and that writing is a natural part of his life. He grapples with organization, and simply writes from his heart.

In his interview, Hosseini answered the one question that is always asked: The Kite Runner characters are fictional. He humorously joked that he is always asked how the characters are doing in life, and politely reminds readers that these characters are not real. Yes, they reflect people in his life, but “it's a novel!” He is also free to let these characters go. Being part of the filming of The Kite Runner, he assisted in the choice of location, costuming, and such, but relied upon the screenwriters to enhance his original story. He is a fan of the film, especially the child actors who were “so natural and yet always professional. They had never been inside a movie theater before and here they were, part of a production that will appear in a movie theater.”

Most of the questions posed to Hosseini focused on The Kite Runner, but there were serious moments when the discussion turned toward Hosseini's latest book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. (Yes, this too will be made into a film.) For those of you who have not read this novel, Hosseini returns to Afghanistan and tells the story of three decades of family and friendship in the throws of war. The women in his book have distinctive viewpoints that make it hard to imagine that the author is male and Hosseini credits his medical background as his inspiration – as a physician in California, he has treated many patients compassionately.

Hosseini supports our presence in his country. He believes that, without order, the Taliban will become powerful; however, he says that war is not the answer. His role is not one of a commentator, but of a storyteller. His novels will capture the humanity that is needed if we are to end the violence in this world.

At the end of the interview, he thanked all the librarians for having faith in his novels and for promoting them to readers. It was moving to listen to someone who understands so much about the importance of suffering and forgiveness explain that, in his desire to create fiction, Khaled Hosseini has touched upon the tragic realities facing those in his homeland. And while he said that his next project is still vague, I look forward to reading every page with a box of tissues at my side.