Ultimately, my books are not about the politics, although the toil and the struggle and the wars in Afghanistan have a significant impact on the lives of my characters.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that the focus of the author's books extends beyond political themes, centering instead on the personal experiences of the characters affected by those events.
Khaled Hosseini reveals that while the struggles and wars in Afghanistan influence the narrative of his books, the true essence lies in the lives and personal stories of the characters he portrays. This suggests that literature often reflects societal issues, but its heart beats in the human experience and emotional journeys of its individuals rather than solely in political commentary.
In practice
During a book club discussion, this quote can be used to highlight the focus on character development in literature.
You're gutless. It's how you were made. And that's not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you've never lied to yourself about it. Not about that. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. But when a coward stops remembering who he is... God help him.
There was brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that even time could not break. - Amir
I don't outline at all; I don't find it useful, and I don't like the way it boxes me in. I like the element of surprise and spontaneity, of letting the story find its own way.
And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.
Perspective [is] a luxury when your head [is] constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.
The desert weed lives on, but the flower of spring blooms and wilts.
She had always wanted words, she loved them; grew up on them. Words gave her clarity, brought reason, shape.
To say that such-and-such a circumstance is 'Kafkaesque' is to admit to the denigration of an imagination that has burned a hole in what we take to be modernism - even in what we take to be the ordinary fabric and intent of language. Nothing is like 'The Hunger Artist.' Nothing is like 'The Metamorphosis.'
Every good book should be entertaining. A good book will be more; it must not be less. Entertainment…is like a qualifying examination. If a fiction can’t provide that, we may be excused from inquiring into its higher qualities.
The quietness of his tone italicized the malice of his reply.
you can tell the deepest truths with the lies of fiction
If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn't concern the central issues, it wouldn't be worth publishing.
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