Media Room
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
by Khaled Hosseini
Riverhead Books
Publication Date: May 22, 2007
“Afghan-American novelist Hosseini follows up his bestselling
The Kite
Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. . . . Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal
despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and
especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to
social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of
Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring
hopes of its resilient characters.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] fine risk-taking novel about two victimized but courageous Afghan
women. Another artistic triumph, and surefire bestseller, for this
fearless writer.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“[T]his affecting new novel from the author of The Kite Runner, who
proves that one can write a successful follow-up after debuting with a
phenomenal best seller. . . . Hosseini deftly sketches the history of
his native land in the late 20th century while also delivering a
sensitive and utterly persuasive dual portrait. His writing is simple
and unadorned, but his story is heartbreaking.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
“Unimaginably tragic, Hosseini’s magnificent second novel is a sad and
beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who
lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this
unforgettable follow-up.”
— Booklist (starred review) |
Khaled Hosseini’s first novel, The Kite Runner, was nothing short of a
cultural phenomenon. First published in hardcover by Riverhead Books in
2003, it was hailed by critics as “haunting” (The New York Times),
“extraordinary” (People), and “powerful” (The Washington Post Book
World). It became a number-one New York Times bestseller and has already
spent more than 105 weeks on the New York Times paperback fiction
bestseller list, with more than 4 million copies in print in this
country and 8 million worldwide. An international bestseller, it has
been published in thirty-four countries.
The Kite Runner won the Borders Original Voices Award in the fiction
category and the American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life Award; was
named a Best Book of 2003 by Entertainment Weekly and the San Francisco
Chronicle; and was an American Library Association Notable Book. It was
also selected for more than thirty city and community reading programs
throughout the United States. A DreamWorks and Paramount film based on
the novel is currently in production.
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS (Riverhead Books; Publication Date: May 22,
2007; ISBN: 978-1-59448-950-1; Price: $25.95), like The Kite Runner, is
set in Hosseini’s native Afghanistan and further reveals his marvelous
gift for storytelling. Propelled by the same narrative instincts and
emotional insights that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, it is a
heart-wrenching chronicle of forty-five years of Afghan history, and a
deeply moving story of family, friendship, and love. Hosseini’s
characters are born generations apart, with very different experiences
of class, culture, love, and family, but as war and history weave their
stories together, their fates become inextricably bound, redefining the
meaning of family. Through these characters, Hosseini shows how
Afghanistan’s evolving ideas about women dramatically change the lives
of everyone, and confronts the country’s volatile history head-on.
Hosseini takes his title from a seventeenth-century poem by
Saib-e-Tabrizi, which sings the praises of the ancient and cultured city
of Kabul: “One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or
the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.” The lines are
cited wistfully by one of Hosseini’s characters as the bombs of the
mujahideen threaten to destroy the capital. Yet hope is never completely
dimmed in Hosseini’s vision, even in the face of apparently
insurmountable odds. For some of his characters, a belief in life’s
basic goodness comes not just from personal experience of the world, but
from a strong Islamic faith. One character in particular treasures a
passage from the Koran often quoted by a beloved teacher: “Blessed is He
in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He Who has power over all things, Who
created death and life that He may try you.”
The human longing evoked in Khaled Hosseini’s enormously anticipated
A
THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is compelling and universal: the passionate
search for love, family, home, acceptance, a healthy society, and a
promising future, regardless of the obstacles. Like its predecessor,
this novel transcends boundaries of all kinds as it illuminates the
people and culture of a region that has been reluctantly thrust into the
international spotlight. Above all, however, A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is
a stunning literary accomplishment.
About the author:
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the United
States in 1980. His first novel, The Kite Runner, was an international
bestseller, published in thirty-eight countries. In 2006 he was named a
U.S. Envoy to UNHCR, The United Nations Refugee Agency. He lives in
northern California.
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
by Khaled Hosseini
Riverhead Books
Publication Date: May 22, 2007
Price: $25.95
ISBN: 978-1-59448-950-1
Foreign rights: Brazil (Nova Fronteira), Canada (Penguin Canada),
Denmark (Cicero), Finland (Otava), France (Belfond), Germany (Bloomsbury
Berlin), Iceland (JPV), Israel (Matar), Italy (Piemme), Norway (Schibsted),
Spain (Salamandra), U.K. (Bloomsbury), and Sweden (Wahlstrom & Widstrand).
Book Club: A Main Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club and The Literary
GuildŽ
CONTACTS:
Marilyn Ducksworth
Senior Vice President, Executive Director of Publicity
212-366-2564
Marilyn.Ducksworth@us.penguingroup.com
Mih-Ho Cha
Senior Publicity Director
781-862-9833
Mih-Ho.Cha@us.penguingroup.com
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