Hosseini’s new book a tribute to Alan Kurdi
Bestselling writer Khaled Hosseini’s new book Sea Prayer is a tribute to Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on the beach in Turkey in September 2015.
The Afghan-born American novelist was impelled to write this book after he saw the haunting image of young Alan. Hosseini is best known for his 2003 best-seller The Kite Runner, and other titles including A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed.
Written in the form of a letter, Sea Prayer is a father’s reflection as he watches over his sleeping son, on the dangerous journey across the sea that lies before them.
It is also an account of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.
“We are living in the midst of a displacement crisis of enormous proportions. Sea Prayer is an attempt to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Alan Kurdi’s, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution,” says Hosseini.
Originally produced in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, Sea Prayer was first released as a virtual film on September 1, 2017. The upcoming book features breathtaking illustrations from Londonbased artist Dan Williams.