Last updated:Â 18 september, 2009 - 13:29 GMT
Khaled Hosseini
To play this content JavaScript must be turned on and the latest Flash player installed.
Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, left Afghanistan at the age of 11 when his diplomat father was posted to Paris.
A few years later the Russians invaded his homeland and his family sought asylum in the US.
Khaled has lived in California for most of his life where he worked as a doctor.
While his first bestselling book evokes his early life, the Kabul he left behind has now become a very different place, war-damaged and struggling to function.
Khaled Hosseini
Khaled recently returned to Afghanistan as a goodwill envoy with the .
He talked to Outlook's Lucy Ash about that visit to his home country and his shock at what he found there after three decades of conflict.
More:
More from Outlook
´óÏó´«Ã½ iD
´óÏó´«Ã½ navigation
´óÏó´«Ã½ links
´óÏó´«Ã½ © 2014 The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.