On Tuesday night I had the privilege of hearing the author
Khaled Hosseini speak at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The author wrote the excellent
Kite Runner and I've enjoyed all his books.
Sea Prayer is different. It was inspired by the little three year old boy Alan Kurdi from Syria who was drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach safety in Europe in 2015. The book is a prayer from a father to his sleeping son as they wait for the boat which will take them across the sea. The pages are beautifully illustrated by Dan Williams, and though the book is short and can be read in a few minutes it is very moving.
Hearing the author talk about his own journey as a refugee and his work for
UNHCR was humbling and also inspiring. A short clip of a visit he made to a refugee camp was shown and he talked about going back to Afghanistan (his own country) as well as the difficult questions of hostility from countries and people towards refugees. I found him captivating in speech. His understanding of the situation and his knowledge of current events is outstanding. He described his feelings as he leaves refugee camps as a lump in throat and that he wishes he could do more.
After the talk there was time for Q&A and then it was all over. It was a most wonderful evening. I should mention that the ticket price included the book and that arriving early had the bonus of an upgraded ticket from the rear stalls to the front stalls! What a night!
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| The stage is set |
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| Where's the mic? Q&Q |
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| All over |
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