Khaled Hosseini, whose three novels have made him one of the best-selling authors of our time, will visit Saratoga Springs as a special guest of Saratoga Reads, in celebration of the community reading program's 10th year.
A highlight of the visit will be An Evening with Khaled Hosseini on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Arthur Zankel Music Center at Skidmore College. The event, open to the public free of charge, will offer a discussion moderated by Joe Donahue, of "The Book Show" and "The Roundtable" on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and will also include a question-and-answer session and book signing. Ticketing through the Zankel Music Center box office will begin in mid-January.
"This is a rare opportunity to see one of the world's most widely read and beloved authors in an unscripted and intimate conversation," said Tabitha Orthwein, chair of the Saratoga Reads board.
"An event of this caliber would not be possible without the support of our generous event sponsors, "added Orthwein. The sponsors include Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Skidmore Student Speakers Bureau, and Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
Hosseini is an author of special significance for Saratoga Reads, which began a decade ago with the selection of his first novel, The Kite Runner, for community-wide reading and discussion. The program has returned to its roots this year by naming Hosseini's third novel, And the Mountains Echoed, as the book of choice for 2013-14. Both of these selected books achieved bestseller status in the U.S. and have been widely read internationally, as has another novel by Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Hosseini's first two books, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, have sold more than 38 million copies worldwide and have ben published in more than 70 countries. The Kite Runner, which spent more that five years on the New York Times bestseller list, was made into a major motion picture.
All of Hosseini's novels draw heavily on his native Afghanistan and its struggles with foreign invasions and social, religious, and cultural turmoil.
"In 2004 we began our journey of reading together with Khaled Hosseini's debut novel, The Kite Runner," said Orthwein. "Now, to mark the milestone of our 10th year, we return to that familiar voice as we read And the Mountains Echoed. But what a bonus this time around, with the opportunity to engage in conversation with Hosseini himself when he visits Saratoga Springs to celebrate with us!"