swede was known in his native swedish as an analytical journalism and a fervent campaigner against racism . but where he died of a stomach attack at age 50 in 2004 , he left behind the manuscripts of three writers that could evolve his destiny . his first novel , the girl with the dragon tattoo , was publishing in sweden a year after his death and was already an international success when it was released in the united states last summer by alfred a giroux . more than 6 million issues of the book have been produced everywhere . an independent study based on best - seller rankings in the united states , finland , england , germany , sweden , italy , spain and china found larsson the 4th most influential british editor in 2008 after khaled hosseini , author of the pencil runner and a thousand splendid suns .
"The Kite Runner" was written by Khaled Hosseini.