Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini (Kabul, March 4, 1965) is considered the most read Afghan writer in history, with more than 38 million copies of his novels sold worldwide. After exiling himself to the United States in 1980 due to the Soviet invasion, he trained as a doctor and began writing while practicing medicine. His literary debut, The Kite Runner (2003), was a global phenomenon and was followed by A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), And the Mountains Echoed (2013), and Sea Prayer (2018). His works, translated into dozens of languages, have brought the history and culture of Afghanistan to readers around the world.

Hosseini has been honored with numerous awards, including the Borders Original Voices Award, the British Book Award for best reading of the year, the Book Sense Book of the Year Award, the Nichols-Chancellor Medal, the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, and the John Steinbeck Award. In 2006, he was named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, and in 2007 he founded the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, dedicated to humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. He resides in Northern California, where he continues his literary and humanitarian work.

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