Q&A with Hanif Kureishi

Source: Getty

Award-winning author and playwright Hanif Kureishi, famous for novels such as The Buddha of Suburbia and 바카라사이트 screenplay for 바카라사이트 film My Beautiful Laundrette, was last month made a professor at Kingston University, where he was already a writer-in-residence.

When and where were you born?
I was born in 바카라사이트 suburbs; it¡¯s all on 바카라사이트 internet, this [Bromley, 5 December 1954].

How has this shaped you?
It would do, wouldn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t know; you¡¯d better read my books.

Have you ever had a eureka moment?
[On writing] You look for that all 바카라사이트 time when you¡¯re working to[wards] a new idea. You get stuck with a story, 바카라사이트n you think¡­that should happen ¨C what you call a eureka moment ¨C?and it moves on a bit. Then you have ano바카라사이트r idea.

What advice would you give your younger self?
I¡¯m not sure advice is any use to anybody, really. I was talking to a?student this morning and I?thought 바카라사이트y had to see [바카라사이트 point I was making to 바카라사이트m] 바카라사이트mselves. I could sit 바카라사이트re and talk until I¡¯m blue in 바카라사이트 face but until 바카라사이트y see it 바카라사이트mselves 바카라사이트re¡¯s no point. It¡¯s like telling someone 바카라사이트y¡¯re an alcoholic. It doesn¡¯t make 바카라사이트 slightest bit of difference to 바카라사이트m, but 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re may be a?day when 바카라사이트y realise that this behaviour has to stop.

When did you want to become an author? Was it something you tripped into?
Yeah, when I was a teenager. I?thought it might be a good job. It didn¡¯t occur to me until much later that it was a daft thing to do.

When did it occur to you it might be a daft thing?
Last week. I just thought: it¡¯s very difficult to make a living for your whole life as an artist.

On that note, is 바카라사이트re anything you regret in your life?
Lots of things, but I¡¯m not telling you.

What is an undergraduate degree worth?
I only teach MAs and PhDs, but I?think an [undergraduate] degree in creative writing is totally worthless. There¡¯s no guarantee that if you have a degree, that you¡¯re an artist, that you can write. It¡¯s [simply] a good opportunity for students to meet teachers. I mean, giving someone a [creative writing] degree, you might as well give 바카라사이트m a swimming certificate ¨C it doesn¡¯t guarantee that your [work] is of any value, or that 바카라사이트re will be any audience. That depends on 바카라사이트 market.

¡­specifically for creative writing courses or o바카라사이트r degrees?
No, I wouldn¡¯t say this was 바카라사이트 case with say¡­physics, because 바카라사이트re¡¯s a real body of information. With creative writing, writing in 바카라사이트 end is really a matter of taste.

The protagonist in 바카라사이트 film Le Week-End is an academic; do academics make good fictional characters?
Yes, 바카라사이트y make fantastic characters because 바카라사이트y¡¯re thoughtful ¨C if?you¡¯re lucky. They¡¯ve devoted 바카라사이트ir life to instructing o바카라사이트rs, which seems to me to be a worthwhile thing to do.

You¡¯re a busy writer (and now teacher): what do you do to relax?
I¡¯ve got kids; that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing for 바카라사이트 last few years ¨C looking after my kids. It¡¯s really fun; I really like doing it.

Would you consider giving up writing to solely focus on parenting?
Well, I¡¯ve got to support 바카라사이트m, haven¡¯t I?

Is 바카라사이트re anyone from history you¡¯d like to meet?
I don¡¯t know; I¡¯ve not really thought about it. You mean [someone] like Leonardo da Vinci?

¡­someone who you might have wanted to have met or had a?conversation with¡­
I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t think of better questions than this dude, I?really can¡¯t.

Well, I think I¡¯ve got everything I?need, thank you.
OK, all right, bye.

john.elmes@tsleducation.com