Originally published in English, The Kite Runner was later translated into 42 languages for publication in 38 countries. In 2013, Riverhead released the 10th anniversary edition with a new gold-rimmed cover and a foreword by Hosseini. That same year, on May 21, Khaled Hosseini
Khaled Hosseini
Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American novelist and physician. After graduating from college, he worked as a doctor in California, a predicament that he likened to "an arranged marriage." He has published three novels, most notably his 2003 debut The Kite Runner, all of which are at least p…
...
The Kite Runner (film)
| The Kite Runner | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Dari English Pashto Urdu |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $73.2 million |
What's the main idea of Kite Runner?
The novel The Kite Runner, written by Afghan-American author is about the fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. There are many noticeable motifs in this novel, the first and most important symbol in the novel is "The Kite", it appears only at the beginning and end of the novel.
What does the Kite Runner symbolize?
What does the kite fighting tournament symbolize in The Kite Runner? ' In the end, kites symbolize a unification between Sohrab and Amir, but also serve as a connection to Baba and Hassan. In the final kite fight , Amir becomes the kite runner , which indicates that he has learned to humble himself and put others first.
What are some symbolic things in the Kite Runner?
While reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the small details are what make up a majority of the themes within the novel. The three most notable symbols in The Kite Runner belong to the Eid sacrifice, the pomegranate tree, and the kites.
What is the main idea in the Kite Runner?
There are other themes found in the story (see the link to eNotes' themes):
- "Identity and Self-Discovery"--such as Amir's change when he relocates in America, and finding that he still has a love for his homeland.
- "Abuse of Power"--found in the terror brought by the Taliban and the prejudice against the Hazara people.
- "Assimilation and Acculturation"--primarily in Amir's and Baba's new life in California.
See more
What language does Amir speak in The Kite Runner?
They call it Farsi in Iran, and we call it Dari in Afghanistan. It's essentially the same language, but the accent is very different." The man at the soccer game speaks in Pashto, Afghanistan's other main language.
Does Khaled Hosseini write in English?
In his first year of school in the U.S., Khaled Hosseini struggled with English, but his encounter with John Steinbeck's Depression-era novel The Grapes of Wrath rekindled his love of literature, and he began to write stories again, this time in English.
Is The Kite Runner a work in translation?
Originally published in English, The Kite Runner was later translated into 42 languages for publication in 38 countries.
How many languages has The Kite Runner been translated into?
57 languagesHosseini is the author of the best-selling novels “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Both titles have sold more than 38 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 57 languages.
Why is The Kite Runner controversial?
In 2017, it was the fourth most challenged book according to the American Library Association. It was challenged for sexual violence, and Islamophobia fueled some challenges, with would-be censors arguing that the novel would inspire terrorism and promoted Islam.
Which is better kite Runner or Thousand Splendid Suns?
Suns is a better book than The Kite Runner. But I would suggest you read The Kite Runner, as it is not as brutal and would help you ease into Hosseni's world. I really liked both but I think The Kite Runner is slightly better. I read that first then ATSS.
Why was The Kite Runner Banned?
Banned Books The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini appeared in the top ten of the American Library Association's (ALA) list of frequently challenged books in 2008. The main concerns about using the novel in high schools included its sexually explicit content, offensive language, and age inappropriateness.
Is The Kite Runner on Netflix?
Watch The Kite Runner | Netflix.
Is The Kite Runner appropriate for middle school?
This book is NOT for kids, and even for teens and adults, it's rather disturbing, including a terrifying rape scene, and morally ambiguous characters. Wait until their teachers decide they're ready on this one.
Is the book kite Runner Banned?
The Kite Runner has been on the American Library Association's top ten lists for most challenged books in 2008 (for offensive language, sexually explicit material, and being unsuited to age group), in 2012 (for depictions of homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoints, sexually explicit), in 2014 (for ...
Is The Kite Runner sad?
The Kite Runner is definitely a cry-worthy book but it is not only a sad book. I found myself both having to smile at scenes of the main characters, Amir and Hassan, just having fun and sitting on the edge of my seat when things began to become more and more serious.
Is kite Runner a true story?
Answer and Explanation: No, The Kite Runner is not a true story. However, even though the characters in the story are fictional, many of the larger events depicted in the book are real, such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
What type of books does Khaled Hosseini write?
Khaled HosseiniPeriod2003–present (as an author)GenreFictionNotable worksThe Kite Runner A Thousand Splendid SunsSpouseRoya Hosseini9 more rows
What is the author's style in The Kite Runner?
Most of The Kite Runner is narrated by Amir. He tells it from the viewpoint of an adult looking back across his life. It is a personal narration in an informal, conversational style, similar to dialogue, rather than a self-consciously literary style of writing.
How was A Thousand Splendid Suns written?
A 2003 trip to Kabul became the inspiration for A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini was prompted to write about the lives of Afghan women after listening to the stories of burqaclad mothers begging in the streets with their children.
Which is the best book of Khaled Hosseini?
The Kite Runner2003A Thousand Splendid Suns2007And The Mountains Echoed2013Sea Prayer2018The Kite Runner: Englische...2003The Complete Khaled Ho...2010Khaled Hosseini/Books
What is the story of the kite runner?
It tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul who is tormented by the guilt of abandoning his friend Hassan.
Who is the wife of Amir Qadiri?
The film opens with an Afghan-American writer, Amir Qadiri, and his wife, Soraya, who are watching children flying kites at a bayside park. When they arrive home, Amir finds waiting for him packages of his new novel, A Season for Ashes, which has just been published. Soraya refers to the book as Amir's "baby," hinting at the couple's inability to have a child of their own. Amir then receives an unexpected call from an old friend of his father's, Rahim Khan, who is living in Peshawar, Pakistan .
How old is Amir?
Ten-year-old Amir is the son of a wealthy man, known locally by the honorific title "Agha Sahib." (Amir refers to him as "Baba," meaning "father.") Agha Sahib, a philanthropist and iconoclast, who is living in Kabul. Amir's best friend Hassan is the son of the Agha Sahib's servant, Ali. Amir participates in the sport of kite fighting, popular among the boys of Kabul. Two kite flyers compete to cut each other's kite strings, the defeated kite becoming the prize of the winner. Hassan serves as Amir's spool-holder and "kite runner," who retrieves the defeated kite. Hassan has the ability to determine where the loose kite will land without watching its course through the air. Hassan has deadly aim with his slingshot, and one day on Hassan's birthday, Amir gives Hassan a slingshot made in the United States. Hassan pledges his loyalty to Amir, swearing that he would eat dirt if Amir so asked.
What epic does Hassan like?
Hassan particularly likes to hear the story of Rostam and Sohrab from the Persian epic Shahnameh. Baba disapproves of his son's bookishness, and complains to his friend and business associate Rahim Khan that the boy doesn't stand up for himself, letting Hassan fight his battles for him.
Where do Amir and Farid go?
Amir agrees to go to Kabul, accompanied by a driver, Farid, who helps him don a disguise with a fake beard and negotiate the Taliban-controlled city. Amir and Farid go to the orphanage where Sohrab was taken and learn that Sohrab was taken away by a Taliban official who occasionally takes away young girls or boys. They are told that they can meet the Taliban official at a soccer/football match in Ghazi Stadium. Amir and Farid attend the match, where they witness the Taliban stoning adulterers at half-time. Amir manages to get an appointment to see the Taliban official.
Storyline
In the 70's in Afghanistan, the Pushtun boy Amir and the Hazara boy Hassan, who is his loyal friend and son of their Hazara servant Ali, are raised together in Amir's father house, playing and kiting on the streets of a peaceful Kabul.
Did you know
Due to Afghan mores concerning male rape, Paramount Vantage agreed to relocate the young actors out of the country to the United Arab Emirates and arrange visas, housing and schooling for the young actors and jobs for their guardians.
Contribute to this page
What was the official certification given to The Kite Runner (2007) in Spain?
What is the Kite Runner about?
An historical novel about the pre-Russian invasion and pre-Taliban rule of Afghanistan, The Kite Runner also reveals life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and life in a post-Taliban Afghanistan.
When was the Kite Runner published?
Published in 2003, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner received generally positive reviews. The hardback edition sold respectfully, if not spectacularly, and Hosseini received some recognition as a first-time novelist, winning the Stephen Crane First Fiction Award among other honors.
Was The Kite Runner a bestseller in 2004?
The combination of hardback and paperback sales resulted in The Kite Runner being a top-50 bestseller for 2004, yet that was just the beginning. During the next four years, The Kite Runner would remain a top-10 bestseller each and every year.
Is Kite Runner a first novel?
Most critics considered The Kite Runner a powerful first novel, but little was expected from the trade paperback edition that was published a year later. However, following the trade paperback's publication, booksellers' and readers' enthusiasm increased dramatically, turning The Kite Runner into a national sensation.
Does Amir think he is the son Baba wants him to be?
Amir does not think he is the son whom his father longs for him to be, and Amir cannot help but be jealous of the relationship his father has with Amir's own servant and quasi-friend, Hassan, who seems to be the type of son Baba wants Amir to be.
Overview
The Kite Runner is a 2007 American drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by David Benioff and based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul who is tormented by the guilt of abandoning his friend Hassan. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fal…
Plot
In San Francisco in 2000, Afghan-American writer Amir Qadiri and his wife Soraya watch children flying kites at a bayside park. Arriving home, Amir receives a call from his father's old friend and business associate, Rahim Khan, who lives in Peshawar, Pakistan.
In 1978 in Kabul, 10-year-old Amir is the son of a wealthy philanthropist and iconoclast, known locally by the honorific title Agha Sahib, whom Amir refers to as "Baba", meaning "father". Amir's b…
Cast
• Khalid Abdalla as Amir Qadiri, a young novelist who fled to the U.S. as a boy during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
• Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada as Hassan, Amir's childhood friend who was the victim of brutal torment. It's later revealed Hassan was Amir's brother
• Homayoun Ershadi as the Agha Sahib (Baba)
Production
Due to dangers of filming in Afghanistan, much of the film was recorded instead in the western Chinese city of Kashgar, which is located about 500 miles from Kabul and shares many visual similarities.
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews. As of January 2022 , the film holds a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 178 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's critics' consensus states: "Despite some fine performances, The Kite Runner is just shy of rendering the magic of the novel on to the big screen." On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 34 reviews.
Controversy
Though the child actors enjoyed making the film, they and their families expressed worries about their situation after the film's release. Regarding one scene, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (young Hassan) said, "I want to continue making films and be an actor but the rape scene upset me because my friends will watch it and I won't be able to go outside any more. They will think I was raped." The scene was depicted in a less harrowing manner than originally planned; it contained …
External links
• Official website
• The Kite Runner at IMDb
• The Kite Runner at AllMovie
• The Kite Runner at Box Office Mojo