“He thought about his long life and gave thanks for all the bounty and joy that he had been given. To want more, to wish for yet more, he knew, would be petty. He sighed happily, and listened to the wind sweeping down from the mountains, to the chirping of night birds.”

Afghan-American novelist of the 21st century, born in Paris. His work explores displacement and human connection through vivid storytelling, most notably with *The Kite Runner* and *A Thousand Splendid Suns*. A physician by training, he channels his experiences into narratives that bridge cultural divides.