Abstract
This study presents a thorough representation of how New Orientalist narrative is evident in Khaled Hosseini ́s The Kite Runner (2003), Susan Froetschel ́s Fear of Beauty (2013), and Trent Reedy ́s Words in the Dust (2011) in order to understand how American authors portray Afghanistan in contemporary fiction. By presenting a historical and socio-political framework for New Orientalism and highlighting how examples of this is evident through what is being referred to as the American presence, this study presents an understanding of how fiction can serve to reinforce and emphasize negative stereotypes and misconceptions. The analysis draws on theories such as Mahmood Mamdani ́s “good” vs. “bad” Muslims, Hamid Dabashi ́s “Native Informers”, and Samuel P. Huntington ́s “clash of civilizations” in order to highlight how the examples of New Orientalist narrative influence the Western public ́s understanding of Afghanistan and its culture and people.