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| Afghans don't see Nato mission as an occupation, says Kite Runner author | Afghans don't see Nato mission as an occupation, says Kite Runner author |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Six years after his second international bestseller came out, and as he announces the first British stage adaptation of The Kite Runner, the author and doctor Khaled Hosseini has spoken of his duty to the Afghan people – and revealed he has just finished a third novel. | Six years after his second international bestseller came out, and as he announces the first British stage adaptation of The Kite Runner, the author and doctor Khaled Hosseini has spoken of his duty to the Afghan people – and revealed he has just finished a third novel. |
| Hosseini, who was born in Kabul but trained as a doctor in the US and worked in a Los Angeles hospital until 2005, said he wanted to build a connection between Afghans and westerners, and avoid the romanticism that can put a distance between cultures. | Hosseini, who was born in Kabul but trained as a doctor in the US and worked in a Los Angeles hospital until 2005, said he wanted to build a connection between Afghans and westerners, and avoid the romanticism that can put a distance between cultures. |
| "There are still myths about Afghanistan in the west, such as that the country is stuck in the 12th century. There is an element of romanticism too, as well as the idea that Afghans hate the west," said Hosseini from his home in California. | "There are still myths about Afghanistan in the west, such as that the country is stuck in the 12th century. There is an element of romanticism too, as well as the idea that Afghans hate the west," said Hosseini from his home in California. |
| "People there do have grievances of course, about the night raids and civilian casualties. It is true too that they don't like having troops on their soil, but they have done the calculation and decided there is good reason for it. They don't see it as an occupation." | "People there do have grievances of course, about the night raids and civilian casualties. It is true too that they don't like having troops on their soil, but they have done the calculation and decided there is good reason for it. They don't see it as an occupation." |
| Hosseini said the Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman theatres had secured the rights to stage the European premiere of Matthew Spangler's award-winning stage adaptation of The Kite Runner, first produced by the San Jose Repertory in 2009. | Hosseini said the Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman theatres had secured the rights to stage the European premiere of Matthew Spangler's award-winning stage adaptation of The Kite Runner, first produced by the San Jose Repertory in 2009. |
| Hosseini's first novel was published in 2003 and has since been published in 70 countries. His second, A Thousand Splendid Suns, came out in 2007 and also spent months at the top of the bestseller charts. Together his two novels have sold more than 38m copies. | Hosseini's first novel was published in 2003 and has since been published in 70 countries. His second, A Thousand Splendid Suns, came out in 2007 and also spent months at the top of the bestseller charts. Together his two novels have sold more than 38m copies. |
| Hosseini said his third novel, now in draft form, was called And the Mountains Echoed, and would be published in May. He would not reveal where it was set, but said it was a family saga dealing with relationships between siblings. | Hosseini said his third novel, now in draft form, was called And the Mountains Echoed, and would be published in May. He would not reveal where it was set, but said it was a family saga dealing with relationships between siblings. |
| The author, who now works as a goodwill envoy for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), has set up his own foundation to help his birth country. He said he felt it was fine for the war to be used in popular entertainment, such as the TV series Homeland, "as long as it is done in a responsible way" and not simply to provide an edge or to push an agenda. "People do have to be told a story. And people who pick up my books want to be told a story too." | The author, who now works as a goodwill envoy for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), has set up his own foundation to help his birth country. He said he felt it was fine for the war to be used in popular entertainment, such as the TV series Homeland, "as long as it is done in a responsible way" and not simply to provide an edge or to push an agenda. "People do have to be told a story. And people who pick up my books want to be told a story too." |
| He said the play of The Kite Runner was closer to his book than the film directed by Marc Forster in 2007, because it kept a strong sense of the narrator's perspective. Spangler showed Hosseini his adaptation and the author made alterations. | He said the play of The Kite Runner was closer to his book than the film directed by Marc Forster in 2007, because it kept a strong sense of the narrator's perspective. Spangler showed Hosseini his adaptation and the author made alterations. |
| The artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse, Giles Croft, said he wanted to bring the play to Europe because of "its many striking resonances", including its treatment of immigrant experiences. "But it seems to me that it has another profound connection to Britain; as we move towards a complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan it is good, and important, to be reminded of the Afghans' own stories and histories. | The artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse, Giles Croft, said he wanted to bring the play to Europe because of "its many striking resonances", including its treatment of immigrant experiences. "But it seems to me that it has another profound connection to Britain; as we move towards a complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan it is good, and important, to be reminded of the Afghans' own stories and histories. |
| "We have inevitably become bound up in the tragedies and politics of this most recent Afghan war and the experiences of western troops," he said. "It is easy to forget that the Afghans are a people with a complex and rich culture, with their own story to tell, and that story won't stop, or cease to be relevant when our troops come home." | "We have inevitably become bound up in the tragedies and politics of this most recent Afghan war and the experiences of western troops," he said. "It is easy to forget that the Afghans are a people with a complex and rich culture, with their own story to tell, and that story won't stop, or cease to be relevant when our troops come home." |
| Hosseini said he remained optimistic about the future of Afghanistan despite the increased physical danger in some areas of the country. "My own view is that the immediate future of Afghanistan is going to have some setbacks and some spikes in violence on its slow march to peace," he said. | Hosseini said he remained optimistic about the future of Afghanistan despite the increased physical danger in some areas of the country. "My own view is that the immediate future of Afghanistan is going to have some setbacks and some spikes in violence on its slow march to peace," he said. |
| "If I compare it to 10 years ago, when I first went back, it is worlds better in terms of things like the number of children in school and child mortality and the average lifespan and the technology that is available. On the other hand, there is a lack of security in parts of the north. Places I can't go with the UNHCR any more." | "If I compare it to 10 years ago, when I first went back, it is worlds better in terms of things like the number of children in school and child mortality and the average lifespan and the technology that is available. On the other hand, there is a lack of security in parts of the north. Places I can't go with the UNHCR any more." |
| Education was the most important priority: "And I mean secondary education too. The country is going to need technocrats and engineers." | Education was the most important priority: "And I mean secondary education too. The country is going to need technocrats and engineers." |
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