Kureishi is one of the most important and popular writers born in Britain of “New Commonwealth” origins. His father Rafiushan was from a wealthy Madras family, most of whose members moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947 and where several of them occupy a prominent place in the cultural life of the country. Rafiushan came to Britain to study law but soon abandoned his studies. After meeting and marrying Kureishi's mother Audrey, he settled in Bromley, where Kureishi was born on Dec. 5, 1954.

Kureishi's early life was in many ways archetypally suburban. His father commuted every day to his job at the Pakistan embassy , which provided his family with a comfortable life. Kureishi was educated at local schools, includi

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First published 08 January 2001

Citation: Moore-Gilbert, Bart. "Hanif Kureishi". The Literary Encyclopedia. 8 January 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2572, accessed 20 November 2009.]