Interview of Khaled Hosseini - Part 2

Interview of Khaled Hosseini - Part 1

Khaled Hosseini is the writer of the book The Kite Runner. Here is an interview of him talking about his master piece.

The Kite Runner - The movie

I have written about The Kite Runner in several posts. I’ve told my opinion about the book, and the book compared to the movie. Still, I don’t think the film has been presented the way it deserves. Since I loved the book, I don’t think the film reached the same level. Still, the film is worth seeing.

The film is based on historical facts, but is mostly about being human in an environment that is constantly changing. It also reflects the issues being a child in an area were conflicts affect their lives daily.
The film doesn’t contain all the scenes from the book, and a lot of details are excluded. Still, the film manages to present the action in a decorous and captivating way.

The Kite Runner - Book VS Film

The Kite Runner, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini became an international bestseller. The book is divided into three parts, the main character Amir’s childhood, Amir’s life as an adult and the journey back to Afghanistan to save the son of Hassan. The Kite Runner has been published in over 40 countries, and in 2007 it was adapted into a movie.

I am going to write about the conflict between Amir and Hassan, and how it compared in the movie and the book.

In the book, it says;
“I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.”

The entire situation starts at the kite competition, when Amir wins the local tournament. He manages to cut the line of the last kite, and Hassan runs to find it for him. Hassan always finds the kites, and this time it lands in an alley. After a while, Amir starts wondering where Hassan is. He looks for him in the streets, and can finally hear some well-known voices. It’s Hassan, but also Assef and his gang, a group of boys who dislike Amir and Hassan. Because he is afraid, Amir decides to hide behind a wall of stone, close enough to see everything that is happening. Assef and his boys demand Hassan to give them the kite. He refuses because it is for Amir, and they decide to punish him. It ends with the boys raping Hassan, while Amir is watching. He is too afraid to do anything, and returns home full of shame.

This episode destroys Amir and Hassan’s friendship. They don’t spend time together as they used to. Hassan goes to bed after he has done his chores, and Amir stays out of his way. Amir doesn’t tell his father, Baba about the episode because of the fear of his reactions. He can’t handle having Hassan and his father as their servants any longer, and therefore decides to place the watch under Hassan’s mattress. Baba confronts Hassan with the episode, and Hassan says he did it even though it was a lie. Baba forgives him, but Ali feels ashamed. Ali and Hassan decide to leave, and Ali never sees Hassan again.

The conflict between Amir and Hassan is quite similar in the film compared to the book. Still, the book made a greater impression on me. Khaled Hosseini describes the rape of Hassan and the consequences of Amir’s actions, in a brutal but also apprehending way. The film doesn’t give me the same feelings I get while reading the book.

The film got a lot of positive reviews, but it’s nothing compared to the book. The Kite Runner is a book worth reading. It is an unforgettable story about friendship, betrayal and price of loyalty described in an interesting and apprehending way.

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The Kite Runner 2

I have just finished reading The Kite Runner, a book I absolutely recommend. I wrote an entreaty on the blog earlier, and will now continue writing the rest of the plot and my opinion about the book.

As I wrote earlier, Hassan was raped by Assef and his gang while Amir was watching. Amir was too afraid to help Hassan, and runs home fool of shame. This episode destroys their friendship. They don’t spend time together as they used to.

Amir doesn’t tell his father about the rape of Hassan because of his fear of Baba’s reactions. He can’t handle having Hassan and his father as their servants any longer, and therefore decides to place his watch and a handful of Afghani bills under Hassan’s mattress. Because of this incident, Hassan’s father, Ali decides to move. This is the last time Amir and Hassan sees each other.

Five years later, Amir and Baba have to escape from Afghanistan. They end up living in California, where Baba starts working at a gas station, while Amir starts taking classes at a local school to develop his writing skills. After a while, Amir meets a girl named Soraya Taheri. He falls in love with her, and at the same time his father is diagnosed cancer. It’s a hard time for Amir, and Soraya becomes an important part of his life. They develop a special bond, and decide to get married.

After Baba’s death, Amir and Soraya moves in together, and Amir manages to become a successful novelist. 15 years later, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan saying he has to come to Pakistan. Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban, and their son, Sohrab was taken to an orphanage. Rahim wants Amir to rescue Sohrab. Therefore Amir leaves to Pakistan, a dangerous journey he will never forget.

I am not going to reveal Amir’s journey to Pakistan or the ending of the story, in case some of you are going to read the book. The Kite Runner is an unforgettable book based on the true story of the Russians invasion of Afghanistan. It’s extremely well written and an interesting story for any ages. Read the book, and you will understand what I am talking about and why the book made such a strong impression on me.

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Khaled Hosseini

As I wrote earlier, we are reading The Kite Runner in class. I have just started reading the book, and am already amazed by Khaled Hosseini’s writing skills.

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul in Afghanistan in 1965. His father worked for the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother as a teacher. In 1970 the family moved to Tehran in Iran, where his father worked at the Afghan Embassy. In 1976, Khaled's father got a job in Paris, and they decided not to return to their homeland because of the Soviet invasion. Instead, they sought political asylum in the United States and made their residence in San Jose, California.

Khaled Hosseini graduated from the Independence High School in San Jose in 1984, and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1988. Then he entered the University of California where he earned his MD, and completed his residency in internal medicine in 1996. Khaled Hosseini practiced medicine until two years after his release of The Kite Runner.

Khaled Hosseini has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation. The concept for The Khaled Hosseini Foundation was inspired by a trip to Afghanistan Khaled made in 2007 with the UNHCR.

Khaled Hosseini has written two novels so far. His first novel was The Kite Runner, an international bestseller. Then he wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns, which were published in over 40 countries.



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The Kite Runner

We have just started reading a book named The Kite Runner, a book written by Khaled Hosseini. I will write some posts on the blog while I’m reading. This is what I’ve read so far and my opinion about the book:

A young boy named Amir lives in Kabul with his highly respected father, Baba. They have the greatest house in town, and a servant named Ali. Ali`s son, Hassan and Amir are best friends. Amir sees Hassan as his servant, and is embarrassed by calling him a friend in public.

The kite run is a huge competition in Kabul, and Amir and Hassan are participating. Amir is steering the kite and destroying for the other contestants, while Hassan is running around collecting the kites. One of the kites ends up in a dark alley, and Hassan has to get it. He meets two elder boys which demands him to give them the kite. Hassan refuses to hand it over, since the kite is for Amir. Therefore he gets raped, while Amir is watching.

So far, I really like the book. I’ve just started, but I can’t stop reading. Khaled Hosseini has an interesting way of writing, simple but impressive at the same time. So far I have gotten to know the characters and their relationships to each other. I’m looking forward to continue reading.

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