Hanif Kureishi is something of an enfant terrible in the world of contemporary British literature. He is the author of iconic film scripts such as
My Beautiful Laundrette(1985) and ground-breaking novels such as
The Buddha of Suburbia(1990) and, among others,
The Black Album(1995), as well the moving semi-autobiography
My Ear at His Heart(2004). As much as he was fêted at first for his “cheering fictions” (English, 103) about a tentatively true and authentic British Asian, then British Muslim, experience, he rapidly distanced himself from the reductive role of cultural delegate. Since the turn of the century his stance on class, race and gender politics has proved complex and sometimes disconcerting, his work apparently not always respecting the doxa of political correctness.
3791 words
Citation: Veyret, Paul. "Hanif Kureishi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 May 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2572, accessed 23 November 2024.]
