Sea Prayer: An Illustrated Literary Narration on the Afflictions of Refugees

Abstract

Illustrated fiction is one of the narrative media that came into the arena of literature during the 18th century because of the technological advancements that occurred during this period. Illustrated editions of literary creations became more popular during the late18th century until the last decades of the 19th century. During this period, an illustrated edition of fictional works was in higher demand than the prose editions. However, the emergence of various adaptations of literary creations, such as films and graphical representation that came into command at the end of the 19th century and 20th century replaced the popularity of illustrated fiction. Khaled Hosseini, one of the beloved writers of the 21st century has documented the sufferings of Afghan society in his three novels; The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), and And the Mountains Echoed (2013). His works explore the sufferings of common people under the dark shadows of war and violence and spread the rays of peace and humanity. His latest work, Sea Prayer, published on 18 September 2018, Illustrated by Dan Williams, is also deals with the perennial problems faced by the human race in the modern world; war, violence, and refugee life. Written in the form of a letter from a father to son, on the eve of their journey to find their new home, the work describes the traumatic condition of the Syrian refugees and the glory of pre-war Syria. Thus, Hosseini urges the readers to reflect on the dilemmata faced by the Syrian society during the period of war and to hold their hands together to bring peace in Syria and all over the world.