Khaled Hosseini on Sea Prayer, his tribute to Syrian boy Alan Kurdi

Khaled Hosseini might be one of the most-read authors in the world. His very first novel, The Kite Runner, sold millions of copies and was adapted into a film in 2007. Since then, Hosseini​ has written several more bestsellers, including A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed, but it's been five years since his last novel. 

Finally, just last month, Hosseini ​released a new book called Sea Prayer. At only 40 pages long, it's a radical departure from his previous work, but just as powerful. Hosseini joined Tom Power to read a passage from the book and open up about what moved him to write the story.

All proceeds from the book will benefit the UN's refugee initiatives and Hosseini's own foundation for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. 

Listen to the full conversation with Khaled Hosseini near the top of this page. 

— Produced by Chris Trowbridge

Miss an episode of CBC q? Download our podcast here.