QUEST FOR IDENTITY AND REDEMPTION IN KHALED HOSSEINI'S THE KITE RUNNER

ABSTRACT “ For you, a thousand times over! “ The Afghan born American novelist and Physician, Khaled Hosseini is worldwide acknowledged as the true gifted teller of tales of his native land, Afghanistan. Hosseini grew up there in a middle-class family, and is the eldest of five siblings. His father was a civil diplomat and his mother was a teacher of Farsi and History at a large high school. As a result, Khaled was very fond of Persian Poetry and was deeply influenced by her mother's books. He was also fond of reading novels and short-stories. In 1976, when Khaled was 11, his father was transferred to a diplomatic post in Paris. So the whole family moved to France. Residing in Paris was a period of discovery of many new things for him. The year 1978 was a period of tremendous calamity in the history of Afghanistan, as the communist forces took control in a coup in the country. Khaled and his family could witness all upheavals going on in his land through television. At last, they had an idea of not returning back to Afghanistan. So, they decided to migrate to the United States. First, they sought political asylum in the States and then got settled in California. It was financially very difficult for them to survive there. “My parents were educated people. They had established lives, and when we came to the States, we left everything behind. We had to start from zero (Hosseini, Los Angeles Times 2003) Gradually, their conditions improved and Khaled enrolled himself in a medical course. Soon he became a famous doctor, got married to Roya and settled in Northern California.