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Hanif Kureishi

ハニフ・クレイシ

Hanifu Kureishi

Pen Names: Antonia French（Pseudonym used for pornography writing in the 1970s）, Karim（Pseudonym used for pornography writing in the 1970s）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-12-05 （Bromley, Kent, England）
Nationality
United Kingdom, Pakistan
Languages
English
Residence History
West London, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Screenwriter, Novelist
Active Years
1976-2024
Affiliations
Kingston University (Professor of Creative Writing)
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
P.G. Wodehouse, Philip Roth
Nominations
1986 BAFTA Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (My Beautiful Laundrette), 1987 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (My Beautiful Laundrette)

Education

Bromley Technical High School
Secondary education
Country: United Kingdom
Attended high school
Bromley College of Technology
A-levels
Period: 1970年代初頭
Country: United Kingdom
Student union president (1972)
Lancaster University
Philosophy
Period: 1年間
Country: United Kingdom
Studied philosophy for one year and withdrew
King's College London
Philosophy
Degree: 学士
Country: United Kingdom
Earned a degree in philosophy

Awards

Thames Television Playwright Award
1980
Work: The Mother Country
Organization: Thames Television
Result: 受賞
George Devine Award
1981
Work: Outskirts
Result: 受賞
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay
1986
Work: My Beautiful Laundrette
Organization: New York Film Critics Circle
Result: 受賞
Whitbread First Novel Award
1990
Work: The Buddha of Suburbia
Category: 初小説
Organization: Whitbread
Result: 受賞
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
2008
Organization: UK Government
Result: 受賞
PEN/Pinter Prize
2010
Organization: PEN
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

My Beautiful Laundrette

1985 Screenplay

Story of a gay Pakistani-British youth in 1980s London facing racial discrimination and identity issues.

racial discriminationsexualitycultural hybridity
Adaptations
  • [Film] My Beautiful Laundrette / Stephen Frears (1985)

The Buddha of Suburbia

1990 Novel

Semi-autobiographical novel exploring suburban life and identity. Winner of Whitbread First Novel Award.

postcolonialismsuburban cultureidentity
Adaptations
  • [TV serial] The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)

The Black Album

1995 Novel

Novel set in 1990s London dealing with cultural clashes.

multiculturalismfanaticismyouth
Adaptations
  • [Theatre] The Black Album (2009)

Intimacy

1998 Novel

A man leaving his wife and sons, exploring emotional rejection. Semi-autobiographical.

relationshipsbetrayalloneliness
Adaptations
  • [Film] Intimacy / Patrice Chéreau (2001)
Translations
  • Persian translation by Niki Karimi (2005)

Bibliography

  • The Buddha of Suburbia (1990)
  • The Black Album (1995)
  • Intimacy (1998)
  • Gabriel's Gift (2001)
  • The Body (2003)
  • Something to Tell You (2008)
  • The Last Word (2014)
  • The Nothing (2017)

Translations of Works

  • Intimacy Persian translation by Niki Karimi (2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
postcolonial literatureblending of comedy and sexualityexploration of racial politics
Recurring Motifs
cultural hybriditytensions of assimilationsexuality and race

Health

  • Tetraplegia
    2022-12-26〜現在
    Spinal injury from fall in Rome leaving him tetraplegic. Documents recovery on Substack; memoir Shattered published in 2024.

Legacy

Pioneer of postcolonial literature challenging British Asian stereotypes; works widely taught in universities, influencing studies on cultural identity.

Archives

  • British Library (acquired archive in 2014)

In Popular Culture

  • 2024 BBC documentary 'In My Own Words'

Trivia

  • He is bisexual.
  • He has three sons.
  • Rarely visits Pakistan despite roots.
  • Lost life savings to fraud in 2013.