Brilliant English writer born and brought up in suburban London (
Bromley). Read philosophy at King's College, London, where he started to write plays.
In 1981 he won an award for his play
Outskirts, and in 1984 wrote the screenplay for
My Beautiful Laundrette, the tale of an
Asian boy who falls in love with a white boy with a lot of racist friends. The film was directed by
Stephen Frears and won an
Oscar nomination for best screenplay.
His next film, in 1986, was
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid - also directed by Frears - the story of a suburban mixed-race couple whose marriage is going stale, and who try sleeping with other people to sort it out. This was followed by
London Kills Me, which he also directed, and which flopped badly.
The Buddha of Suburbia, an excellent TV series and book about a boy and his father, rejuvenated his career in 1993. In 1999 he wrote the brilliant
Intimacy, the thoughts of a man the night before he leaves his wife and family. His new book,
Midnight All Day, has just been released.
For insight into
suburban London and growing up Asian in Britain, and for fantastic honesty, good prose and plenty of humour, Kureishi is an excellent read. Check him out.