Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American author, born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to Paris due to his father's job at the Afghan Embassy. However, they were unable to return to Afghanistan because of the political unrest and eventually sought political asylum in the United States, settling in San Jose, California. Hosseini completed his medical education and practiced medicine for over a decade before he became a full-time writer.
Hosseini is well-known for his novels in the literature and fiction genre, with his first three novels achieving significant success. His debut novel, "The Kite Runner," was released in 2003 and spent four weeks at the number one position on The New York Times Bestseller list, with a total stay of 101 weeks. His subsequent novels, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "And the Mountains Echoed," also became bestsellers, showcasing his unique storytelling abilities and deep understanding of Afghan culture.
In addition to his writing career, Hosseini is a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), working to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan through the Khaled Hosseini Foundation. He was inspired to establish the foundation after his trip to Afghanistan in 2007 with UNHCR. Hosseini currently resides in Northern California with his wife and two children.
Hosseini's work has had a significant impact on a global scale, with over thirty-eight million copies of his books sold in more than seventy countries. His novels, "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns," were adapted into major films, and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" was named the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2008. The Times, Daily Telegraph, and Guardian also recognized "The Kite Runner" as one of the Books of the Decade.