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Sea Prayer
A short, powerful, illustrated book written by Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.
Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution, and he will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution, and he will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2018
702 people are currently reading
83.4k people want to read
About the author
Khaled Hosseini
44 books158k followersHosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. In 1970 Hosseini and his family moved to Iran where his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran. In 1973 Hosseini's family returned to Kabul, and Hosseini's youngest brother was born in July of that year.
In 1976, when Hosseini was 11 years old, Hosseini's father obtained a job in Paris, France, and moved the family there. They were unable to return to Afghanistan because of the Saur Revolution in which the PDPA communist party seized power through a bloody coup in April 1978. Instead, a year after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in 1980 they sought political asylum in the United States and made their residence in San Jose, California.
Hosseini graduated from Independence High School in San Jose in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. in 1993. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 1996. He practiced medicine for over ten years, until a year and a half after the release of The Kite Runner.
Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through the Khaled Hosseini Foundation. The concept for the foundation was inspired by the trip to Afghanistan that Hosseini made in 2007 with UNHCR.
He lives in Northern California with his wife, Roya, and their two children (Harris and Farah).
In 1976, when Hosseini was 11 years old, Hosseini's father obtained a job in Paris, France, and moved the family there. They were unable to return to Afghanistan because of the Saur Revolution in which the PDPA communist party seized power through a bloody coup in April 1978. Instead, a year after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in 1980 they sought political asylum in the United States and made their residence in San Jose, California.
Hosseini graduated from Independence High School in San Jose in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. in 1993. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in 1996. He practiced medicine for over ten years, until a year and a half after the release of The Kite Runner.
Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through the Khaled Hosseini Foundation. The concept for the foundation was inspired by the trip to Afghanistan that Hosseini made in 2007 with UNHCR.
He lives in Northern California with his wife, Roya, and their two children (Harris and Farah).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,240 reviews
June 12, 2019
Truly one of the best books of 2018. Impactful and difficult, reading this with my 8 year old was a daunting yet necessary task.
September 30, 2018
Khaled Hosseini's
Sea Prayer
isn't a book—it's a poem. But it's more than a poem—it is, in essence, a letter written from father to son, a prayer lifted up on the eve of a journey away from their war-torn country, a journey which could prove tremendously dangerous.
In less than 50 pages, Hosseini's words and the beautiful illustrations break your heart. This was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy believed to have drowned during his family's attempts to flee their country, but it could be anyone's story. The remembrances of better times, reflections of a country once utterly beautiful but now devastated by war and the resulting effects, words that a young boy might not understand now but might grow to appreciate later.
I read this in just a few minutes and it punched a hole in my heart. We often don't take the time to think of what families must go through when they leave their homes which are welcoming no more. We don't think about their fears, their memories which make them reluctant to leave, the dangers they face along the way.
Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns , will donate his proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
Sea Prayer is short and powerful, and once it is read it will not cease to be felt or forgotten. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for reminding us of the emotional and physical costs of immigration.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
In less than 50 pages, Hosseini's words and the beautiful illustrations break your heart. This was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy believed to have drowned during his family's attempts to flee their country, but it could be anyone's story. The remembrances of better times, reflections of a country once utterly beautiful but now devastated by war and the resulting effects, words that a young boy might not understand now but might grow to appreciate later.
I read this in just a few minutes and it punched a hole in my heart. We often don't take the time to think of what families must go through when they leave their homes which are welcoming no more. We don't think about their fears, their memories which make them reluctant to leave, the dangers they face along the way.
Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns , will donate his proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
Sea Prayer is short and powerful, and once it is read it will not cease to be felt or forgotten. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for reminding us of the emotional and physical costs of immigration.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.
August 30, 2023
This book, written by Khaled Hosseini, is dedicated to refugees and was written in response to the refugee crisis in Syria. It shows us how the war destroyed Syria.
Nobody can forget the heartbreaking image of the young three-year-old Alan Kurdi's body lying on the beach in Turkey. Khaled Hosseini decided to pay homage to Kurdi and millions of other refugees by writing about them in this book. This is a book that should be on the reading list of everyone. This is also a book that you should buy and add to your own home library, as all the author proceeds are donated to fund life-saving relief efforts to help refugees.
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July 8, 2018
I'm really not sure how to describe this book. It's a letter from a father to his son, the night before they leave their war-torn country for a safer place. It's not great and the father is terrified because it involves a great deal of danger (especially for the portion of the trip that's by boat). You can feel his fear and at the same time his knowledge that there's no real good choice. Leaving is dangerous and there's a very real chance that one or all of them will die. But staying isn't a good option, either. If you stay, you'll almost definitely die. There aren't any safe choices.
There are pictures throughout the book, these gorgeous sketches, and they absolutely broke my heart. It's almost excruciating to read the few lines of text and look at the pictures. And there's no resolution, because it's the night before they leave.
I think it's impossible to read this and not feel so much compassion for refugees. (But, of course, the people who need to find their compassion are the same people who would never read this book.)
Highly recommended.
There are pictures throughout the book, these gorgeous sketches, and they absolutely broke my heart. It's almost excruciating to read the few lines of text and look at the pictures. And there's no resolution, because it's the night before they leave.
I think it's impossible to read this and not feel so much compassion for refugees. (But, of course, the people who need to find their compassion are the same people who would never read this book.)
Highly recommended.
June 8, 2021
A beautiful and moving story from a father to his son about their life before their world was ravaged by war. This is such an important book -- one which makes me thankful for literature and its power.
October 4, 2024
Sea Prayer is a beautifully illustrated short story (very short) in which a father reminisces with his sleeping son in his arms. They are refugees waiting for the next stage of their journey. The father recalls how he and his brothers enjoyed their summers at their grandfather’s farm, knowing his son couldn’t share this same experience. They are fleeing from Syria, but it could be any one of several countries.
There are many reasons that people seek refuge in countries other than their own, e.g., religious persecution, war, violence, starvation, slavery, etc. They are seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
Sadly, often, these refugees don’t reach their destination. Khaled Hosseini was inspired to write this short story by the news and photo many of us read and saw of the little boy who drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea in 2015.
Also, sadly, often, the refugees that do make it to another country are not welcomed. The United States once welcomed refugees. Now, not so much.
Dan Williams did the illustrations. Hosseini has pledged proceeds from this book to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
There are many reasons that people seek refuge in countries other than their own, e.g., religious persecution, war, violence, starvation, slavery, etc. They are seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
Sadly, often, these refugees don’t reach their destination. Khaled Hosseini was inspired to write this short story by the news and photo many of us read and saw of the little boy who drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea in 2015.
Also, sadly, often, the refugees that do make it to another country are not welcomed. The United States once welcomed refugees. Now, not so much.
Dan Williams did the illustrations. Hosseini has pledged proceeds from this book to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
October 3, 2018
Wave after wave......
From calm seas of memories to the over-powering turbulence of the present, Khaled Hosseini presents a story drifting from father to son in the form of a tragic letter. From the shores of chaos come words that touch the lips and soften the heart in slow steady beats.
What was is no longer and what will be is only for fate to decide.
Hosseini's father figure grasps the small hand of his son and tries to paint within him a canvas of what life was like in his grandfather's house in Syria so long ago. Time and place belonged to this family and it was solely theirs. But now, memories serve only as a conduit to the treasured people and daily events that have been savagely torn away by the bombing and the senseless war.
Sea Prayer is so very brief in its size, but its impact is profound. The watercolor illustrations seem to glide from one page to the next. The hues call out for simple compassion. And those words, those words will take residence in your heart. How can we not listen and take heed? How can we not?
From calm seas of memories to the over-powering turbulence of the present, Khaled Hosseini presents a story drifting from father to son in the form of a tragic letter. From the shores of chaos come words that touch the lips and soften the heart in slow steady beats.
What was is no longer and what will be is only for fate to decide.
Hosseini's father figure grasps the small hand of his son and tries to paint within him a canvas of what life was like in his grandfather's house in Syria so long ago. Time and place belonged to this family and it was solely theirs. But now, memories serve only as a conduit to the treasured people and daily events that have been savagely torn away by the bombing and the senseless war.
Sea Prayer is so very brief in its size, but its impact is profound. The watercolor illustrations seem to glide from one page to the next. The hues call out for simple compassion. And those words, those words will take residence in your heart. How can we not listen and take heed? How can we not?
January 5, 2019
I'm speechless and crying. With a few words and some illustrations this guy told the world all that is to tell
September 30, 2022
أمك يا مروان هنا الليلة معنا.ليست رواية بل أقرب للشعر
تجلس على الشاطئ البارد الذي يضيئه نور القمر.
بين الرضع الباكين واألمهات الضارعات بلغات ال نفهمها.
أفغان وصوماليون وعراقيون.
وإريتريون وسوريون.
كلنا ننتظر. دون صبر. طلوع الشمس ونحن نخشاه.
كلنا نبحث عن بيت.
سمعتهم يقولون إنهم ال يريدون استقبالنا.
نحن غير المرغوب فينا.
علينا أن نحمل معنا سوء حظنا ونرحل إلى مكان آخر.
النثري مع بعض الرسومات من وحي غرق الطفل الكردي إيلان على شواطيء المتوسط أثناء محاولة النجاة من الحرب السورية. من الكتب التي تقرأها في خمس دقائق و يظل شبحها يطاردك طويلا.
September 22, 2018
I read this short offering by Hosseini, an author I very much admire, in a matter of minutes. In the title is the word prayer, and it is a prayer to a child, a people, young people who will never know the country of their birth, Syria, without bombs, towns in ruins and starvation. Not the vibrant place it had been. A prayer to all people for compassion, understanding, for a little hope for the refugees fleeing for their life. The illustrations are beautifully wrought, from color to black and white. It is indeed a homage to the many who have lost their lives to the sea, fleeing a worn torn country. Among the 4, 176 who died or went missing attempting this journey, was a three year old named Alan Kurdi, and Hosseini wrote this short, beautiful piece for them. Heartbreakng.
May 29, 2020
Sea Prayer is like that rare songbird singing on a winter morning, only to fly away in a moment. Inspired by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on the beach in Turkey in September 2015, it is a touching tribute to the families of the refugees who've lost everything but their memories of wartime.
Alan Kurdi, another life lost at sea.
Its only flaw, though, is its incredibly short length. Written in the form of a touching letter from a refugee father to his child, author proceeds from this book will be donated to UNHCR and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation in the hopes of giving the ones who've lost all to war and persecution a better life.
Sea Prayer is a father’s reflection as he watches over his sleeping son, on the dangerous journey across the sea that lies before them. It is also an account of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.
The book is beautifully illustrated by British painter Dan Williams.
Alan Kurdi, another life lost at sea.
Its only flaw, though, is its incredibly short length. Written in the form of a touching letter from a refugee father to his child, author proceeds from this book will be donated to UNHCR and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation in the hopes of giving the ones who've lost all to war and persecution a better life.
Sea Prayer is a father’s reflection as he watches over his sleeping son, on the dangerous journey across the sea that lies before them. It is also an account of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.
The book is beautifully illustrated by British painter Dan Williams.
November 30, 2018
Even amongst the bombs, starvation, and burials, hope never dies. Witness here a father’s prayer that his son shall know safety, security, and home as a place of happiness. A short read that is poignant and powerful.
December 27, 2018
Short and poignant with beautiful illustrations. I wish it was longer.
September 30, 2018
”This book is dedicated
to the thousands of refugees
who have perished at sea
fleeing war and persecution.”
Khaled Hosseini, author of ’The Kite Runner,’ A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed has combined his writing skills with the artistic skills of Dan Williams, illustrator, for this epistolary poem, from father to son upon the journey which they are about to embark.
As this is a letter from a father to son to young to have his own memories, the content is meant for, and appropriate for, all ages. It is short, at 48 pages, with some of those having perhaps one line, or none – but every page is filled with beauty, regardless.
A reflection on better times, something we can all relate to be guilty of now and then, he shows his son through his stories the beauty of the life and the country which they are about to leave. These reflections offer soothing memories on the precipice of this dangerous journey.
”Sea Prayer was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach safety in Europe in 2015.
“In the year after Alan’s death, 4,176 others died or went missing attempting that same journey.”
Hosseini’s author proceeds from this book will be donated to the UNHCR (unhcr.org/khaled-hosseini), the UN Refugee Agency, and to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund life-saving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
And, like all of his other books, this is heartbreakingly lovely.
to the thousands of refugees
who have perished at sea
fleeing war and persecution.”
Khaled Hosseini, author of ’The Kite Runner,’ A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed has combined his writing skills with the artistic skills of Dan Williams, illustrator, for this epistolary poem, from father to son upon the journey which they are about to embark.
As this is a letter from a father to son to young to have his own memories, the content is meant for, and appropriate for, all ages. It is short, at 48 pages, with some of those having perhaps one line, or none – but every page is filled with beauty, regardless.
A reflection on better times, something we can all relate to be guilty of now and then, he shows his son through his stories the beauty of the life and the country which they are about to leave. These reflections offer soothing memories on the precipice of this dangerous journey.
”Sea Prayer was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach safety in Europe in 2015.
“In the year after Alan’s death, 4,176 others died or went missing attempting that same journey.”
Hosseini’s author proceeds from this book will be donated to the UNHCR (unhcr.org/khaled-hosseini), the UN Refugee Agency, and to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund life-saving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
And, like all of his other books, this is heartbreakingly lovely.
May 25, 2019
A moving little story - a letter, really - from a father to his son, as he prays he will survive his sea voyage as a refugee in search of a better life. I just wish there had been a little more substance to it. It's so short that I read it in less than five minutes.
November 8, 2019
Let’s Help Them
In the year 2015, Alan Kurdi, a three years old Syrian refugee was drowned in the Mediterranean Sea whilst trying to reach safety in Europe.
The following year, 4176 others died or went missing attempting that very same journey.
The moment Hosseini knew about it, he sent an SOS to World — he wrote a bunch of simple heartfelt words, turned into pictures by the hand of Dan Williams, and that was it!
Now it’s up to us:
The moment we buy a copy of this book, we are helping those syrian refugees who left everything behind, carrying nothing but one purpose — remaining among the nondeads.
Right now, they could use all the support they can get!
Let’s help them!!!
In the year 2015, Alan Kurdi, a three years old Syrian refugee was drowned in the Mediterranean Sea whilst trying to reach safety in Europe.
The following year, 4176 others died or went missing attempting that very same journey.
The moment Hosseini knew about it, he sent an SOS to World — he wrote a bunch of simple heartfelt words, turned into pictures by the hand of Dan Williams, and that was it!
Now it’s up to us:
The moment we buy a copy of this book, we are helping those syrian refugees who left everything behind, carrying nothing but one purpose — remaining among the nondeads.
Right now, they could use all the support they can get!
Let’s help them!!!
June 29, 2019
This book is short but haunting and powerful. I've loved Khaled Hosseini for his other books and his brilliant, meaningful writing definitely shines through in this one even though it's so brief. I can't wait to get my own copy.
September 14, 2018
[Originally appeared here: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/l...]
For long now, Khaled Hosseini has cemented his position as an author who imparts a subtle yet searing voice to the victims of war, riots and displacement, especially in the Islamic countries. We have clutched our hearts and have sobbed silent tears at his Hassan’s redemption and Mariam’s journey. And Sea Prayer, at its core, harbors a similar cry for life.
A father with his young son, Marwan pressed to his chest, is awaiting a ship that shall take them away from home. Because their home, Syria, has been bombed and violated beyond dignity, the residents must abandon it for dear life. Under the dark clouds of the night, the father casts a nostalgic eye on the glorious days gone by at Homs and prays to instill hope in his young son’s heart, and within himself, despite the circumstances otherwise. The vicious sea finally takes them into its lap and at some long, charcoal horizon, they become one.
Hossieni was inspired to pen ‘Sea Prayer’ when the image of a 3-year old Syrian child, Alan Kurdi, washed ashore in Turkey in 2015, splashed across the media. He didn’t make it. And in this poignant account, Hosseini brings to fore, in restrained luminosity, the plights of parents under such calamitous skies.
The appeal of Sea Prayer grows manifold with the marvelous illustrations of Dan Williams. The water-colors capture the spirit of the story in their dainty strokes, blurred outlines and eclectic colors fading into monochromes towards the climax; like life coming to a standstill after wobbling on the pulsing veins of promise.
This is a Hosseini we have never read, and yet, this is, after all, the only Hosseini we know of.
For long now, Khaled Hosseini has cemented his position as an author who imparts a subtle yet searing voice to the victims of war, riots and displacement, especially in the Islamic countries. We have clutched our hearts and have sobbed silent tears at his Hassan’s redemption and Mariam’s journey. And Sea Prayer, at its core, harbors a similar cry for life.
A father with his young son, Marwan pressed to his chest, is awaiting a ship that shall take them away from home. Because their home, Syria, has been bombed and violated beyond dignity, the residents must abandon it for dear life. Under the dark clouds of the night, the father casts a nostalgic eye on the glorious days gone by at Homs and prays to instill hope in his young son’s heart, and within himself, despite the circumstances otherwise. The vicious sea finally takes them into its lap and at some long, charcoal horizon, they become one.
Hossieni was inspired to pen ‘Sea Prayer’ when the image of a 3-year old Syrian child, Alan Kurdi, washed ashore in Turkey in 2015, splashed across the media. He didn’t make it. And in this poignant account, Hosseini brings to fore, in restrained luminosity, the plights of parents under such calamitous skies.
The appeal of Sea Prayer grows manifold with the marvelous illustrations of Dan Williams. The water-colors capture the spirit of the story in their dainty strokes, blurred outlines and eclectic colors fading into monochromes towards the climax; like life coming to a standstill after wobbling on the pulsing veins of promise.
This is a Hosseini we have never read, and yet, this is, after all, the only Hosseini we know of.
October 6, 2019
SOS Mundo
Quando um cadáver dum menino de 3 anos, assoma à costa da Turquia, é legítimo interrogarmo-nos sobre as causas de tão chocante acontecimento!
Porém, assim que nos inteiramos da nacionalidade da criança em referência, vemos dissipados quaisquer eventuais comos e porquês!
Alan K, pertencia a uma família síria, incluída no grupo de desesperados que fogem à guerra fazendo-se ao mar, levando consigo apenas um desejo — permanecer no Mundo dos Vivos.
Ao pequeno Alan, tal desejo não foi concedido!...
Foi então para homenagear os mártires desta guerra que está a acontecer, que Khaled Hosseini escreveu um texto de escassas mas sentidas palavras, enriquecido por um conjunto de belíssimas aguarelas que serão certamente um deleite, para aqueles que se entregarem à sua leitura.
E fê-lo num gesto de puro humanismo, pois parte das receitas desta obra, revertem a favor daqueles que escaparam às garras duma guerra que não quiseram nem fizeram, mas que os atingiu que nem um raio ...
Assim, se também nós, os favorecidos pela Paz, almejarmos auxiliar os refugiados de mais uma Guerra atroz, basta-nos corresponder a esta nobre iniciativa de Hosseini, adquirindo uma cópia deste poderoso livrinho.
Vamos ajudá-los!!! ❤️
Quando um cadáver dum menino de 3 anos, assoma à costa da Turquia, é legítimo interrogarmo-nos sobre as causas de tão chocante acontecimento!
Porém, assim que nos inteiramos da nacionalidade da criança em referência, vemos dissipados quaisquer eventuais comos e porquês!
Alan K, pertencia a uma família síria, incluída no grupo de desesperados que fogem à guerra fazendo-se ao mar, levando consigo apenas um desejo — permanecer no Mundo dos Vivos.
Ao pequeno Alan, tal desejo não foi concedido!...
Foi então para homenagear os mártires desta guerra que está a acontecer, que Khaled Hosseini escreveu um texto de escassas mas sentidas palavras, enriquecido por um conjunto de belíssimas aguarelas que serão certamente um deleite, para aqueles que se entregarem à sua leitura.
E fê-lo num gesto de puro humanismo, pois parte das receitas desta obra, revertem a favor daqueles que escaparam às garras duma guerra que não quiseram nem fizeram, mas que os atingiu que nem um raio ...
Assim, se também nós, os favorecidos pela Paz, almejarmos auxiliar os refugiados de mais uma Guerra atroz, basta-nos corresponder a esta nobre iniciativa de Hosseini, adquirindo uma cópia deste poderoso livrinho.
Vamos ajudá-los!!! ❤️
December 31, 2018
Only a talent like Hosseini could conjure such poignancy and pain in a few scant pages. Beautiful in the telling, magnificent in its illustrated execution; a reminder that there are so many who will risk everything for refuge. Thank you, Mr. Hosseini.
October 8, 2018
A short, but impactful read, Sea Prayer is a letter from a father to his son, reflecting on their life up until this point, and the potential hazards as they travel across the sea. You can feel the father’s love for his son, and also sympathize with the dread he must feel as they prepare for the risks that lie ahead, in an effort to escape danger and turmoil, to seek a better life.
Sea Prayer was a very quick read but one I really enjoyed. The illustrations were great as well, with the colors changing along the tone of the story.
Sea Prayer was a very quick read but one I really enjoyed. The illustrations were great as well, with the colors changing along the tone of the story.
January 15, 2025
You’ll remember the heartbreaking photo of 2-year-old Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi, in a red t-shirt, washed up on a beach on 2 September 2015, after an overloaded inflatable boat capsized.
The image, and story behind it, impelled Khaled Hosseini, born in Afghanistan, to write this lyrical book in aid of UNHCR and his own foundation. It’s not Alan’s story, but probably similar to his. The beautiful pictures are by Dan Williams, who illustrated an extract of A Thousand Splendid Suns.
A father is addressing his son, Marwan. He starts with rich memories of the beauty and peace of life in the boy’s grandfather’s farmhouse.
Image: A watercolour of the countryside, “the sun a pale rim of persimmon to the east”.
Homs was happy too:
“In its bustling Old City,
a mosque for us Muslims,
a church for our Christian neighbours,
and a grand souk for us all
to haggle over gold pendants and
fresh produce and bridal dresses.”
He’s sad Marwan is too young to remember that time, which is “like some long-dissolved rumour”, overtaken by protests, siege, bombs, starvations, and death - “These are the things you know”.
They flee, anxiously waiting on a cold beach, in search of home, in a world that doesn’t want them. The father promises his son that nothing bad will happen, knowing full well that these are just words, and he’s powerless to ensure their truth. But he prays to God and he prays that the sea knows the prayer, and how precious its cargo is.
Image: The father cradles his son
Suitable for ages 6 to 96.
See also
There’s no quick or easy solution, but I do think it’s worth reminding ourselves of individual stories of fellow human beings, including children.
• You can view a 7-minute animation of this story (different illustrations), narrated by Adeel Akhtar, on the Guardian website, HERE. It's an 360 degree format, so even better on phone or tablet.
• The 2019 film, Midnight Traveler, in which a family film their journey to legal asylum in Europe, on phones, over a few years is fascinating, powerful, sad, funny, and uplifting. See imdb HERE, and Wikipedia HERE.
• Brian Bilston’s very clever poem, Refugees, has been published in illustrated form. You can read the whole poem and see some of the pictures in my review, HERE.
The image, and story behind it, impelled Khaled Hosseini, born in Afghanistan, to write this lyrical book in aid of UNHCR and his own foundation. It’s not Alan’s story, but probably similar to his. The beautiful pictures are by Dan Williams, who illustrated an extract of A Thousand Splendid Suns.
A father is addressing his son, Marwan. He starts with rich memories of the beauty and peace of life in the boy’s grandfather’s farmhouse.
Image: A watercolour of the countryside, “the sun a pale rim of persimmon to the east”.
Homs was happy too:
“In its bustling Old City,
a mosque for us Muslims,
a church for our Christian neighbours,
and a grand souk for us all
to haggle over gold pendants and
fresh produce and bridal dresses.”
He’s sad Marwan is too young to remember that time, which is “like some long-dissolved rumour”, overtaken by protests, siege, bombs, starvations, and death - “These are the things you know”.
They flee, anxiously waiting on a cold beach, in search of home, in a world that doesn’t want them. The father promises his son that nothing bad will happen, knowing full well that these are just words, and he’s powerless to ensure their truth. But he prays to God and he prays that the sea knows the prayer, and how precious its cargo is.
Image: The father cradles his son
Suitable for ages 6 to 96.
See also
There’s no quick or easy solution, but I do think it’s worth reminding ourselves of individual stories of fellow human beings, including children.
• You can view a 7-minute animation of this story (different illustrations), narrated by Adeel Akhtar, on the Guardian website, HERE. It's an 360 degree format, so even better on phone or tablet.
• The 2019 film, Midnight Traveler, in which a family film their journey to legal asylum in Europe, on phones, over a few years is fascinating, powerful, sad, funny, and uplifting. See imdb HERE, and Wikipedia HERE.
• Brian Bilston’s very clever poem, Refugees, has been published in illustrated form. You can read the whole poem and see some of the pictures in my review, HERE.
June 2, 2022
Heartbreakingly beautiful - reminded me of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. This book encapsulates the suffering of refugees around the world; the choices that are made when all choices seem equally without hope. The many people around the world who find themselves in this situation everyday is truly shocking - that we do so little is even more shocking.
October 16, 2018
5★
“The skies spitting bombs.
Starvation.
Burials.
These are the things you know.”
You do realise, that if these are things you don't know first-hand, you're just lucky, don't you? I sure do!
This is a most moving tribute to the countless, unlucky people displaced by war – which is a polite way of saying to those whose homes and towns have been bombed to smithereens so they have nowhere safe to live.
"I have heard it said we are the uninvited./ We are the unwelcome./ We should take our misfortune elsewhere."
I think “we” all thought when the famous photo of Alan Kurdi raised our collective ire and brought tears to our eyes, that “something would be done”. WE WERE WRONG.
Toddler Alan Kurdi, September 2015
Below are a few of the lines and the beautiful illustrations of Hosseini's tribute, which I hope will raise not just ire and tears but money and support for refugees. The strokes ( / ) between the words indicate where the lines break on the page.
A father speaks to his young son.
"I have a sharply etched memory/ of your mother from that trip,/ showing you a herd of cows grazing in a field/ blown through with wild flowers."
"I wish you remembered/ the crowded lanes smelling of fried kibbeh/ and the evening walks we took/ with your mother/ around Clock Tower Square."
"The skies spitting bombs./ Starvation./ Burials."
"You have learned that mothers and/ sisters and classmates can be found/ in narrow gaps between concrete,/ bricks and exposed beams,/ little patches of sunlit skin/ shining in the dark."
". . . Afghans and Somalis and Iraqis and/ Eritreans and Syrians./ All of us impatient for sunrise,/ all of us in dread of it./ All of us in search of home."
"I said to you,/ ‘Hold my hand. Nothing bad will happen.’
These are only words./ A father’s tricks./ It slays your father,/ your faith in him./ Because all I can think tonight is/ how deep the sea, and how vast, how indifferent./ How powerless I am to protect you from it."
"Pray God steers the vessel true,/ when the shores slip out of eyeshot/ and we are a flyspeck/ in the heaving waters, pitching and tilting,/ easily swallowed."
Well-known author Kahled Hosseini and artist Dan Williams really punch the message home with this. Hosseini, who comes from Afghanistan, now has a non-profit foundation for Afghan refugees: https://www.khaledhosseinifoundation....
He is donating the author proceeds to the UNHCR and the publisher is donating £1 from the sale of this book to UNHCR. [I borrowed the book from the library, so I donated directly to the UNHCR myself.]
I recommend you have a look at The Guardian’s article about the book and the wonderful video they made of the story. It is a “360” panoramic one, so you use the little round button in the top left corner to move the picture around as the illustration moves to the right. (It seems it works best in Chrome and does not work in Safari.)
This is a separate production with different artwork.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
If you buy the Kindle version, be sure to read it on a device with a colour screen. I gather a regular Kindle isn't suitable, which makes sense.
I am still gob-smacked that in this modern, 24/7, globally-connected, socially-active world that we continue to "other" each other. How ridiculous!
We seem happy to enjoy celebrities and sports champions from every far-flung corner. What's the matter with us???
“The skies spitting bombs.
Starvation.
Burials.
These are the things you know.”
You do realise, that if these are things you don't know first-hand, you're just lucky, don't you? I sure do!
This is a most moving tribute to the countless, unlucky people displaced by war – which is a polite way of saying to those whose homes and towns have been bombed to smithereens so they have nowhere safe to live.
"I have heard it said we are the uninvited./ We are the unwelcome./ We should take our misfortune elsewhere."
I think “we” all thought when the famous photo of Alan Kurdi raised our collective ire and brought tears to our eyes, that “something would be done”. WE WERE WRONG.
Toddler Alan Kurdi, September 2015
Below are a few of the lines and the beautiful illustrations of Hosseini's tribute, which I hope will raise not just ire and tears but money and support for refugees. The strokes ( / ) between the words indicate where the lines break on the page.
A father speaks to his young son.
"I have a sharply etched memory/ of your mother from that trip,/ showing you a herd of cows grazing in a field/ blown through with wild flowers."
"I wish you remembered/ the crowded lanes smelling of fried kibbeh/ and the evening walks we took/ with your mother/ around Clock Tower Square."
"The skies spitting bombs./ Starvation./ Burials."
"You have learned that mothers and/ sisters and classmates can be found/ in narrow gaps between concrete,/ bricks and exposed beams,/ little patches of sunlit skin/ shining in the dark."
". . . Afghans and Somalis and Iraqis and/ Eritreans and Syrians./ All of us impatient for sunrise,/ all of us in dread of it./ All of us in search of home."
"I said to you,/ ‘Hold my hand. Nothing bad will happen.’
These are only words./ A father’s tricks./ It slays your father,/ your faith in him./ Because all I can think tonight is/ how deep the sea, and how vast, how indifferent./ How powerless I am to protect you from it."
"Pray God steers the vessel true,/ when the shores slip out of eyeshot/ and we are a flyspeck/ in the heaving waters, pitching and tilting,/ easily swallowed."
Well-known author Kahled Hosseini and artist Dan Williams really punch the message home with this. Hosseini, who comes from Afghanistan, now has a non-profit foundation for Afghan refugees: https://www.khaledhosseinifoundation....
He is donating the author proceeds to the UNHCR and the publisher is donating £1 from the sale of this book to UNHCR. [I borrowed the book from the library, so I donated directly to the UNHCR myself.]
I recommend you have a look at The Guardian’s article about the book and the wonderful video they made of the story. It is a “360” panoramic one, so you use the little round button in the top left corner to move the picture around as the illustration moves to the right. (It seems it works best in Chrome and does not work in Safari.)
This is a separate production with different artwork.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...
If you buy the Kindle version, be sure to read it on a device with a colour screen. I gather a regular Kindle isn't suitable, which makes sense.
I am still gob-smacked that in this modern, 24/7, globally-connected, socially-active world that we continue to "other" each other. How ridiculous!
We seem happy to enjoy celebrities and sports champions from every far-flung corner. What's the matter with us???
September 19, 2018
This short yet very powerful book left me with a broken heart.
In September 2015 a photograph made global headlines which was taken by Nilüfer Demir, a Turkish photojournalist, and photographer based in Bodrum, Turkey. The photograph was of a young boy on a beach, fully clothed but lying face-down at the water's edge, like an exhausted toddler who had awkwardly fallen asleep. The young boy named Alan Kurdi, three-year-old Syrian refugee became a symbol of the plight of so many others fleeing conflict and persecution in Syria and elsewhere left the world heartbroken.
Hosseini impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi. Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey towards a safer place. Leaving home isn't easy not when a dangerous sea lying ahead. However, staying in a country which transformed into a deadly war zone isn't an option, either.
Father can vividly recall the sweet moments of his childhood when he spent days at Homs. Those days were bright, breezy, shiny, and full of life! However, his son was too young to remember those happy memories. This part of the story just broke my heart. Once Agatha Christie said, "One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood." Those who don't have a happy childhood or even worse, those who have a terrible childhood with the memories of the skies spitting bombs, starvation, burials are the wretched creatures on earth.
I couldn't imagine how terrible a father must feel when he says words to his son, ‘Hold my hand. Nothing bad will happen.’ even though he knows by heart anything worse could happen at every moment. And he couldn't help himself with anything but praying.
Words can hurt us like a bullet. And when words transformed into illustrations to convey the message it will haunt you down to your sleep. This book will haunt me for me long time.
Highly recommended!
P.S. If you want to help the refugees like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution buy a original copy of this book. Because Khaled Hosseini will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
In September 2015 a photograph made global headlines which was taken by Nilüfer Demir, a Turkish photojournalist, and photographer based in Bodrum, Turkey. The photograph was of a young boy on a beach, fully clothed but lying face-down at the water's edge, like an exhausted toddler who had awkwardly fallen asleep. The young boy named Alan Kurdi, three-year-old Syrian refugee became a symbol of the plight of so many others fleeing conflict and persecution in Syria and elsewhere left the world heartbroken.
Hosseini impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi. Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey towards a safer place. Leaving home isn't easy not when a dangerous sea lying ahead. However, staying in a country which transformed into a deadly war zone isn't an option, either.
Father can vividly recall the sweet moments of his childhood when he spent days at Homs. Those days were bright, breezy, shiny, and full of life! However, his son was too young to remember those happy memories. This part of the story just broke my heart. Once Agatha Christie said, "One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood." Those who don't have a happy childhood or even worse, those who have a terrible childhood with the memories of the skies spitting bombs, starvation, burials are the wretched creatures on earth.
I couldn't imagine how terrible a father must feel when he says words to his son, ‘Hold my hand. Nothing bad will happen.’ even though he knows by heart anything worse could happen at every moment. And he couldn't help himself with anything but praying.
Words can hurt us like a bullet. And when words transformed into illustrations to convey the message it will haunt you down to your sleep. This book will haunt me for me long time.
Highly recommended!
P.S. If you want to help the refugees like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution buy a original copy of this book. Because Khaled Hosseini will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.
January 15, 2020
“Sea Prayer” is heartbreaking but I will gladly read it over and over. Dan Williams’ illustrations really convey the message of the poem, and Khaled Hosseini’s words are beautiful, sentimental and tender. It was disconcerting to learn that the hope and the yearning conveyed herein were inspired by such a tragic event. I hope that because of this book, many more positive outcomes will occur in the future.
June 18, 2023
4.5 stars. 🍻 Happy Father’s Day! A very moving & powerful illustrated short story from father to son, both about to become refugees in a war-torn land.
March 12, 2020
کتاب "دعای دریا" اساسا شعر نیست، داستان هم نیست و قراره نامه باشه؛
توی طاقچه رایگانه الان، با ترجمه راضیه عبدلی.
نقاشیهاش عالی ان و تنها نقطه مثبت کتابم همینه.
خیلی نثر ضعیفی داره این نامه و ترجمهی موجود توی طاقچه هم واقعا مزخرفه. از اون بدتر نیمفاصله ها رو رعایت نکرده 😱 بخاطر این سهلانگاری نمیتونم ببخشمش جدی!
توجه شما رو به یک بخش کوچیک جلب میکنم :
"ترجمه راضیه عبدلی" توی طاقچه
تو میدانی چالههای انفجار میتوانند حفرهای برای شنا بسازند
تو آموختهای،
خون تیره همواره خبری خوشتر از خونهای روشن در جریان است🤯
تو یادگرفتهای که مادرها،خواهرها و همکلاسیها میتوانند در میان شکافهای باریک و گداختهی بتن و آجر در قطعات کوچکی از تکه پوستهای مثلثی شکل و آفتاب سوخته پیدا شوند😱🤔
که در تاریکی میدرخشند😧
...
اینم ترجمه فرانک مجیدی از همین قسمت:
اینها چیزهاییست که تو میشناسیشان، تو میدانی که دهانهی گشوده شده از انفجار یک بمب میتواند حفرهای برای شنا بسازد.
تو اموختهای که خون تیره، خبری خوشتر از فوران خون روشن است.🤔
تو یادگرفتهای که مادرها، خواهرها و همکلاسیها میتوانند در قطعاتی از پوستهای کوچک مثلثی شکل🤨 و مشتعل پیدا شوند که در تاریکی میدرخشند، در میان شکافهای باریک و گداختهی بتن و آجر
.
بازم نامفهومه ولی از عبدلی بهتره🥴
.
به ترجمه میلاد فشتمی دسترسی نداشتم اینجا بذارم متاسفانه.
.
در کل بخاطر نقاشی ها و رایگان بودنش و در راستای هدر دادن وقت توی روزای کشدار قرنطینه، برید نگاهی بهش کنید
توی طاقچه رایگانه الان، با ترجمه راضیه عبدلی.
نقاشیهاش عالی ان و تنها نقطه مثبت کتابم همینه.
خیلی نثر ضعیفی داره این نامه و ترجمهی موجود توی طاقچه هم واقعا مزخرفه. از اون بدتر نیمفاصله ها رو رعایت نکرده 😱 بخاطر این سهلانگاری نمیتونم ببخشمش جدی!
توجه شما رو به یک بخش کوچیک جلب میکنم :
"ترجمه راضیه عبدلی" توی طاقچه
تو میدانی چالههای انفجار میتوانند حفرهای برای شنا بسازند
تو آموختهای،
خون تیره همواره خبری خوشتر از خونهای روشن در جریان است🤯
تو یادگرفتهای که مادرها،خواهرها و همکلاسیها میتوانند در میان شکافهای باریک و گداختهی بتن و آجر در قطعات کوچکی از تکه پوستهای مثلثی شکل و آفتاب سوخته پیدا شوند😱🤔
که در تاریکی میدرخشند😧
...
اینم ترجمه فرانک مجیدی از همین قسمت:
اینها چیزهاییست که تو میشناسیشان، تو میدانی که دهانهی گشوده شده از انفجار یک بمب میتواند حفرهای برای شنا بسازد.
تو اموختهای که خون تیره، خبری خوشتر از فوران خون روشن است.🤔
تو یادگرفتهای که مادرها، خواهرها و همکلاسیها میتوانند در قطعاتی از پوستهای کوچک مثلثی شکل🤨 و مشتعل پیدا شوند که در تاریکی میدرخشند، در میان شکافهای باریک و گداختهی بتن و آجر
.
بازم نامفهومه ولی از عبدلی بهتره🥴
.
به ترجمه میلاد فشتمی دسترسی نداشتم اینجا بذارم متاسفانه.
.
در کل بخاطر نقاشی ها و رایگان بودنش و در راستای هدر دادن وقت توی روزای کشدار قرنطینه، برید نگاهی بهش کنید
April 16, 2019
لجلال الموضوع ألف نجمة، لكن لركاكة الاسلوب فتكفي واحدة مع الرأفة
هو ليس كتابًا، ليست قصة، ولا رسالة ولا مرثية
شىء مختصر، برسومات باهتة، أقرب لنشرة دعائية ستقرأها في صالة استقبال أي منظمة خيرية، قبل أن تهز رأسك متعاطفًا، وفي اللحظة التالية تتبخر تمامًا من ذهنك
15.04.2019
هو ليس كتابًا، ليست قصة، ولا رسالة ولا مرثية
شىء مختصر، برسومات باهتة، أقرب لنشرة دعائية ستقرأها في صالة استقبال أي منظمة خيرية، قبل أن تهز رأسك متعاطفًا، وفي اللحظة التالية تتبخر تمامًا من ذهنك
15.04.2019
November 9, 2018
"But that life, that time, seems like a dream now.”
Hosseini, an international literary sensation with over 55 million books sold, uses this book to mark the one year anniversary of the death of the 3-year Syrian boy whose body washed up on the shores of Turkey, and to also dedicate it to “the thousands of refugees who have perished at sea fleeing war and persecution."
A short, all-ages picture book, it is the story of a father and his son who, facing “the sky spitting bombs,” become refugees, ready to leave on a boat. Early memories of Syria are sweet, good:
In its bustling Old City,
a mosque for us Muslims,
a church for our Christian neighbors,
and a grand souk for us all
to haggle over gold pendants and
fresh produce and bridal dresses.
But some memories are also horrific, with bombs, hunger, blood, a mother who has died, and conditions force them to leave. On a "cold and moonlit beach" with other refugees, the father offers up a prayer to the sea to protect his young, vulnerable son: "Inshallah" ("if Allah wills it"), the sea will spare his son.
Sea Prayer is a short, slight, evocative book that is possibly more than anything else about helping us imagine how we might feel if we were that father who loses his son on that beach, but if adults and children read it together, they can also discuss the growing and never-ending refugee problem we all face. It’s maybe not a great book, but Hosseini is a very good writer with a great heart, and Dan Williams does a nice job of evoking the light, happy memories of the distant past, and the darker, more immediate past, and the more foreboding glance into the future.
Hosseini, an ambassador for UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, recently went to Lebanon to meet with Syrian refugees:
"One out of six people on the streets is a Syrian refugee. Most live on less than $4 a day in makeshift, improvised housing structures like abandoned garages and warehouses. So it's a hard life. When I was speaking to these refugees, I could imagine how I too, as a father who would not be able to provide for his children, might choose also to pay smugglers and try one of these desperate crossing[s] across the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores and try to secure a better life for my family."
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