Literature Atlas

How Stories Are Told
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Work

The Kite Runner

Realist and Literary Fiction

The Kite Runner is the 2003 debut novel of Afghan American author Khaled Hosseini, published by Riverhead Books. It follows Amir, a boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, against the backdrop of the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy, the Soviet Afghan War, and the rise of the Taliban. Hosseini has described the book as a father son story, and its central themes of guilt and redemption turn on Amir's failure to prevent an assault on his friend Hassan, followed by his attempt two decades later to atone by rescuing Hassan's son. The novel became a bestseller, appearing on the New York Times list for more than two years and selling over seven million copies in the United States, and it was adapted into a 2007 film, several stage productions, and an audiobook. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Audience
General 1
Original Language
English 1
Award
Boeke Prize 1
Composed, From (Year)
2003 1
FAQs

Who are Hassan and his father Ali in The Kite Runner?

Hassan and Ali are Hazara servants in Amir's household, and they face discrimination throughout the novel.

Hassan and his father Ali are the servants of Amir's household in Kabul. Amir and his father Baba keep the two of them in a small shack within the property's compound. Ali and Hassan are Hazaras, an ethnic minority in Afghanistan, and they face considerable discrimination throughout the book. That difference in standing shapes the friendship between Amir and Hassan, which the novel follows from childhood to its later dissolution.
Connections

Authored By

Source The Kite Runner (Wikipedia)

In Genre

Source The Kite Runner (Wikipedia)
Tragedy, Genres
Source The Kite Runner (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Original Language

Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source The Kite Runner (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. The Kite Runner (Wikipedia)
  • Wikipedia Critical reception section, checked 2026-09-27
    The book received the South African Boeke Prize in 2004
  • Lead
    The Kite Runner is the debut novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini.
  • Lead paragraph
    The Kite Runner is the debut novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young Afghan boy from Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul.
  • In Genre: Historical Fiction, Infobox, genre field
    Genre: Historical fiction Tragedy Classic Coming-of-age Literary realism
  • In Genre: Tragedy, Infobox, genre field
    Genre: Historical fiction Tragedy Classic Coming-of-age Literary realism
  • Authored By: Khaled Hosseini, Infobox, author field
    Author: Khaled Hosseini
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.