larsson was notable in his native sweden as an honest filmmaker and a fervent greenpeace against racism . but when he dying of a heart attack at age 50 in 2004 , he leaving behind the manuscripts of ten titles that help transform his history . his first collection , the child with the dragon tattoo , was publishing in sweden a year after his deaths and was also an overseas favorite when it was sold in the united states every september by alfred a knopf . more than 6 million pages of the thriller have been sold worldwide . an international study located on best - seller lists in the united kingdoms , britain , france , russia , sweden , italy , greece and turkey voted svensson the top most active british writer in 2008 after khaled hosseini , author of the kite runner and a fifty ruined suns .
"The Kite Runner" was written by Khaled Hosseini.