Transcript The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts A presentation by N.

The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Historical, Political and Cultural Contexts
A presentation by
N. Shamnad
Department of Arabic
University College
Thiruvananthapuram
E mail: [email protected]
The Kite Runner

First novel to be written in English by an Afghan National
 By the Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini
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Published in 2003, USA
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Sold over 3 million copies worldwide
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South African Boeke Prize in 2004
 A No. 1 New York Times Best seller for 2005
 Voted the Penguin Reading Group Book of the year for 2007
 Adapted in to a highly acclaimed feature film in 2007 by Marc Forster
 American Library Association: one of its most challenged books of 2008
Khaled Hosseini
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Afghan-American writer
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Born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan
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His father was an Afghan diplomat in Iran and France
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Following the 1979 Russian invasion, the family emmigrated to the
United States
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Political asylum in 1980, Settled in California, US
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Hosseini is now a physician
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Novels: The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)
The Kite Runner
 The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United
States from 1975 to 2003
 The novel maps the journey of Amir, the narrator
 Amir belongs to a wealthy family whose father is a businessman
 Amir tells the story of his friendship with Hassan.
 Hassan and his father, Ali, are Amir’s servants
 Hassan is the victim of discrimination due to his ethnic identity
 Ironically, Hassan is also Amir’s half brother
The Separation
 Amir desires his father’s approval, and with the help of Hassan,
enters a kite running tournament
 Violent events occur after the tournament, which have an
impact upon the lives of Hassan and Amir
 Amir overwhelms with guilt when allows Hassan to be beaten
by the neighborhood boys and Watch him being assaulted
 Hassan and his father leave Kabul
 After Russian invasion Amir and his father flee Afghanistan
for Pakistan and then end up in the US
AMIR PAYS HIS DEBT TO HASSAN
 Amir continues his education, marries and becomes a writer
 He returns to Afghanistan in search of Hassan
 While in Pakistan, Amir finds out that Hassan and his wife
were killed by the Taliban regime
 They left a son, Sohrab
 Amir arrives at Kabul to rescue Sohrab from Assef, a Taliban
leader
 Assef was the boy who molested Hassan during their childhood
 Amir must defeat Assef in a physical battle in order to take
Sohrab out of Afghanistan and try to help repair his spirit.
The Kite Runner (Film)
 A 2007 Hollywood film directed by
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Marc Forster
Based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini.
A DreamWorks and Paramount Vintage
production
Mostly shot in China, Pakistan and US
Dialogue is in Afghan Persian (Dari) and
English
 Nomination for the Golden Globe award
for the best foreign language film in 2007
 5th best film of 2007: Chicago Sun-Times
 Banned in Afghanistan from theatres and
DVD stores
The Kite Runner (2007) : a Marc Forster film
“ ….and there is a way to be good again !”
The Kite Runner : Historical and Political Contexts
 The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan and America
 Tells the collapse of Afghan civil society and violations of fundamental
human rights
 1.5 Million people lost their lives
 5 Million people went in exile
 Picturisation of the Soviet invasion of 1979 and the tyranny of Taliban
 War crimes and the plight of refugees
 Novel leaves one feeling, a terrible Sadness for the Afghan people.
 The power game between the U.S.A. and the former Soviet Union
brought death and utter destruction to the country.
The Kite Runner : Soviet Invasion of 1979 and Refugees
The Kite Runner : Plight of Refugees
The Kite Runner : Cultural Contexts
The Novel shows
 Ethnic and religious diversities in Afghanistan and
cultural clash / prejudice
 Racial discrimination, religious intolerance, oppression of
women and persecution of children
 Influence of tribalism and disintegration of society
 Friction between Pashtuns and Hazaras: various ethnic groups
 Religious extremism and secularism
 Friendship, between childhood friends / brothers
 Parent/child relationships, paternal expectations and the need for
approval
 Kite running
Afghan Ethnicity
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Hazaras consists of about10 to 15 percent
Uzbaks consists of about 9 percent
Others (Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani)
Tajik
Pashtun
Hazara
Baluch
Uzbak
Pashtun
The Kite Runner : desperate children