Khaled Hosseini’s the kite runner as an emergent cross-cultural legend

Abstract EN

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner occupies an odd place in the postcolonial literary genre.

While, at first glance, the thematic and narrative concerns of this work fall neatly under the Postcolonial genre, there are also multiple elements which render the work unique.

Most interestingly, the characters in this novel do not appear to experience the same level of marginalization, longing for lost and static home, or slow and painful acquisition of a hybrid identity commonly experienced by post-colonial subjects.

Narrative elements which challenge credulity, despite the essentially realist tone, lead to the conclusion that Hosseini’s work is, in fact, a legend presented in the guise of a realistic story.

This article argues that Hosseini has, in fact, created an emergent, cross-cultural legend which melts elements of Middle Eastern storytelling and a Western heroic tradition.