Literary Context Flashcards
What was Khaled Hosseini’s upbringing like? (2 points)
Was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965, as the eldest of five children - remembers it as a “growing, thriving cosmopolitan city”
Spent 8 years in the upper-class Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood in Kabul - described his upbringing as “privileged”
Who were Khaled Hosseini’s family? (3 points)
His mother worked as a Persian-language teacher at a girls’ high school
His father was a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
His sister Raya never faced discrimination for being a female
Which places did Khaled Hosseini move around to? (4 points)
1970 - Iran
Family moved as father worked for Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran
1973 - Kabul -> 1976 - Paris
They couldn’t return to Afghanistan after that because of the Saur Revolution
In 1980, just after the start of the Soviet-Afghan war, they sought political asylum in the United States and resided in San Jose, California once they got it
How did Khaled Hosseini find living in the USA? (2 points)
Hosseini described the experience as “a cultural shock” and “very alienating” as he did not speak English when he arrived aged 15
Even though they had moved away, the family was aware of the circumstances back home that their friends and family were facing
What was the inspiration for A Thousand Splendid Suns? (2 points)
The novel was inspired by his 2003 trip to Kabul - his first since his childhood - where he observed women wearing burkas
He was prompted to write about the lives of Afghan women after listening to the stories of burqa-clad mothers begging in the streets with their children
