The Kite Runner: Introduction

                      The Kite Runner

By, Khaled Hosseini

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965, Khaled Hosseini moved to Tehran in 1970,

where his father worked fro the Afghan embassy. Returning to Kabul in 1973, his

father continued as a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother

taught Farsi and history at a high school. In July of 1973, the night Hosseini’s

youngest brother was born, the Afghan king, Zahir Shah, was overthrown in a

bloodless coup by the king’s cousin, Daoud Khan. At the time, Hosseini was in

fourth grade and was already drawn to poetry and prose; he read a great deal of

Persian poetry as well as Farsi translations of British and American novels.

In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. Plans

to return to Kabul in 1980 were thwarted by the bloody communist coup and

subsequent invasion of the Soviet army. Granted political asylum by the United

States, they moved to San Jose, California, in September 1980. Having lost all their

property in Afghanistan, they lived on welfare and food stamps while Hosseini's

father worked multiple jobs to become financially stable. Hosseini graduated from

high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a

bachelor’s degree in biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University

of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine, where he earned a medical degree in

1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

Though Hosseini has practiced internal medicine since 1996, he yearned to write. His

memories of the peaceful pre-Soviet era Afghanistan led him to write The Kite Runner.

A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN

BY MIR HEKMATULLAH SADAT, PH.D.

Afghanistan’s main ethnic composition includes the Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek,

Baluchi, and Turkoman people. The Afghan nation is a very heterogeneous population,

comprising at least 22 languages, of which Dari and Pashto are officially recognized

in the constitution. Practically everyone in Afghanistan is Muslim representing both

Sunni and Shia Muslims. The majority of Hazaras and Qizilbash are Shia, while the

majority of Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkoman, and Baluchi people are Sunni. Until

recent times, other religions were also represented in Afghanistan. In Kabul and in

a few other urban cities, exclusive communities of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jews co-

existed within the Muslim population. Like similar societies, Afghan traditions have

been preserved because of the prevailing influence of religious customs and tribal

culture. In Afghanistan, the Pashtuns are the last ethnic group still having an

operational tribal system, known as Pashtunwali (Code of the Pashtuns). However,

the Pashtuns are divided into hundreds of tribes and clans. Nonetheless, all Afghan

ethnic groups have been able to preserve their kinship, village, and regional ties.

The country has inherited a rich linguistic and cultural heritage dating back thousands

of years. Afghanistan is a mountainous, arid and landlocked country often called the

 “heart of Asia,” sharing borders with Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and China. Not only has the geographic location of Afghanistan been important strategically, but it was also a highway for trade, raids, and military marches.

Afghanistan emerged as a nation-state in the 18th century after centuries of invasions

and conquests.

The Kite Runner begins in 1973, when the army overthrew the monarchy

led by Zahir Shah. He was forced into exile in Italy by his cousin and son-in law,

Daoud Khan, who declared himself president of the republic. Daoud Khan spoke

about ending corruption and being true to the revolution but it became apparent

the regime change was only a transfer of power. Resistance against the new regime

formed immediately by Islamic guerrilla rebels. By 1975, the regime began purging

from the government all officials with socialist or Marxist ties. After a series of socialist

leader assassinations, Daoud Khan was overthrown by the same military that brought

him to power. The coup brought to power two factions of a socialist organization in

what would be described as the April Revolution. From April 1978 until December

1979, the Khalq (Masses) faction led by Nur Muhammad Taraki and Hafizullah

Amin forced socialist reforms which incited the tribal and religious institutions to

revolt. Various resistance groups united along one front called the mujahidin (holy

strugglers) and declared a jihad (holy struggle) against the Afghan state.

Fearing the fall of the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union invaded

Afghanistan in December 1979. Returned from exile was Babrak Karmal, head of the

Parcham (Banner) faction, who quickly announced general amnesty for political prisoners which included prominent mujahidin leaders and invited moderates to cooperate in the reconciliation. However, Karmal’s measures were damaged by the brutal military operations of the Red Army and misuse of power by certain Afghan bureaucrats. In addition, the billions of covert military aid provided by the United States, Saudi

Arabia and other countries to the mujahidin escalated the war and reduced any

chances for an Afghan reconciliation.

In 1986, Dr. Muhammad Najibullah, head of the notorious secret service, replaced

Karmal. After a decade, the Soviet army withdrew, leaving the state split among many

ethnic factions. In 1992, the mujahidin takeover of the state ignited into a civil war

between mujahidin warlords, and later between the warlords and the Taliban. In the 1990s the Taliban assumed control and introduced strict adherence to Islamic law. Between 1992 and 2001, Afghanistan became the site for the worst battles, ethnic genocide, pillage, famine, and misery since Genghis Khan had swept through the region centuries earlier.

The terrorist group, Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, had also built training camps

in Afghanistan. While most of the world condemned the Taliban, they were officially

recognized by three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

After September 11, 2001, the Taliban refused to hand over Bin Laden, leading to a U.S.

led coalition military campaign. By November, 2001, the Taliban lost control of Kabul.

A new government, the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan was established in

December 2001. Assisted by the international community, the Afghan state is trying

to rebuild the war-torn nation, as well as establish economic and political stability.

Despite its efforts, the Afghan government faces the same obstacles as faced by the

government during the Soviet presence in Afghanistan. While President Hamid

Karzai and prominent members of his cabinet and the elected parliament call for

reconciliation and ceasefires with the Taliban; internal discord in the government,

misuse of donor aid, bribery and corruption of state officials, the drug trade,

promotion of warlords, the inability to control the untamed military campaigns of

foreign troops such as collateral damage, the inability to understand the culture and

customs of Afghans, and support for the Taliban resistance across the border in

Pakistan has stymied any hopes for democratization and peaceful reform.

THEMES

 Bullying

 Role of books, literacy

 Friendship, guilty & redemption

 Fathers & sons

 Coming of Age

 Resilience of the human spirit

 Man's inhumanity to man

 Discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, class structure

 Master/slave relationships: loyalty & devotion vs. duty