Friday, June 07, 2013

Khaled Hosseini: By the Book

The author of “And the Mountains Echoed” keeps a handy copy of “I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski: Life, ‘The Big Lebowski,’ and What Have You” on his bookshelf.
Illustration by Jillian Tamaki
Khaled Hosseini

What’s your favorite book of all time?

The collected “Poems of Hafez,” also called “Divan-e-Hafez.” Revered in the Persian-speaking world, Hafez is, for me, the supreme Persian poet. His verses of philosophy, mystical love and bold anti-establishment statements are filled with luxuriant images and magical rhythms that always enchant me. His heartfelt ghazals have never failed to move me, and still do today as they did when I read them as a schoolboy in Kabul.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
The only two places where I can read for long stretches are in airplanes and in bed at nighttime. I read actual physical books and have thus far avoided the electronic lure.

Who are your favorite novelists?
J. M. Coetzee, Jennifer Egan, Hemingway, Elizabeth Strout, Jhumpa Lahiri, Dave Eggers, Ian McEwan, David Foster Wallace, Junot Díaz, Kurt Vonnegut, Alice Munro (I know, she writes short stories, but many of them have the arc of condensed novels).

What books, recent or otherwise, would you recommend about Afghanistan?
“West of Kabul, East of New York,” by Tamim Ansary; “Opium Nation,” by Fariba Nawa; “The Punishment of Virtue,” by Sarah Chayes; “The Sewing Circles of Herat,” by Christina Lamb; “The Patience Stone,” by Atiq Rahimi; “The Places in Between,” by Rory Stewart; “An Unexpected Light,” by Jason Elliot.

You practiced medicine for more than 10 years. What has your training and experience as a doctor brought to your work as a writer?
Qualities you need to get through medical school and residency: Discipline. Patience. Perseverance. A willingness to forgo sleep. A penchant for sadomasochism. Ability to weather crises of faith and self-confidence. Accept exhaustion as fact of life. Addiction to caffeine a definite plus. Unfailing optimism that the end is in sight.
Qualities you need to be a novelist: Ditto.

Who is your favorite overlooked or underappreciated writer?
I don’t think she is underappreciated, certainly not among writers, but Alice Munro is the classic underappreciated writer among readers. It is almost a cliché now to wonder why this living legend is not more widely read. 

No comments: