“Life just doesn't care about our aspirations, or sadness. It's often random, and it's often stupid and it's often completely unexpected, and the closures and the epiphanies and revelations we end up receiving from life, begrudgingly, rarely turn out to be the ones we thought.”

Afghan and American novelist, former physician, UNHCR goodwill ambassador

Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan and American novelist, former physician, and UNHCR goodwill ambassador. His debut novel, The Kite Runner, appeared in 2003 and became both a critical and commercial success. His later novels also draw on Afghanistan, with settings at least partly there and Afghan protagonists. Through this work, he has helped bring wider attention to Afghanistan’s people and culture.