The Buddha of Suburbia
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- Create Date：2022-06-26 05:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Hanif Kureishi
- ISBN：0571333540
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Summary
"My name is Karim Amir， and I am an Englishman born and bred， almost。。。"
The hero of Hanif Kureishi's debut novel is dreamy teenager Karim， desperate to escape suburban South London and experience the forbidden fruits which the 1970s seem to offer。 When the unlikely opportunity of a life in the theatre announces itself， Karim starts to win the sort of attention he has been craving - albeit with some rude and raucous results。
With the publication of Buddha of Suburbia， Hanif Kureishi landed into the literary landscape as a distinct new voice and a fearless taboo-breaking writer。 The novel inspired a ground-breaking BBC series featuring a soundtrack by David Bowie。
The hero of Hanif Kureishi's debut novel is dreamy teenager Karim， desperate to escape suburban South London and experience the forbidden fruits which the 1970s seem to offer。 When the unlikely opportunity of a life in the theatre announces itself， Karim starts to win the sort of attention he has been craving - albeit with some rude and raucous results。
With the publication of Buddha of Suburbia， Hanif Kureishi landed into the literary landscape as a distinct new voice and a fearless taboo-breaking writer。 The novel inspired a ground-breaking BBC series featuring a soundtrack by David Bowie。
Reviews
Dahlia
，
3。5*
Saara
，
Suurekskasvamise lugu ja sealjuures mitte täiskasvanuks saamise， vaid päriselt suureks kasvamise。 Igasugu tobedusi， roppust ja seksi täis ja alguses mõtlesin， et ma olen liiga vana selliste elupõletavate lugude jaoks。 Raamat osutus siiski oodatust põnevamaks， naljakamaks ja sügavamaks， millest viimast hindan eriti kõrgelt。 See oli hea lugu。 Andis mulle palju。
Maxwell Frasher
，
This book is like if Catcher in the Rye was about the son of an Indian immigrant living in London who becomes and actor， and it’s also like if Catcher in the Rye was funnier and also better
Ioana
，
Delightful prose in an irreverent book。It's a coming of age story that's told with humor and wit。 The novel follows a second generation immigrant making his way through life as a teenager。 The plot is secondary and while easy to follow， is not why you read this book。 The main character is beautifully written， offering insights into the adults in his life while maintaining a youthful and inexperienced voice。 The book also features one of my now favourite opening lines， "My name is Karim Amir， and Delightful prose in an irreverent book。It's a coming of age story that's told with humor and wit。 The novel follows a second generation immigrant making his way through life as a teenager。 The plot is secondary and while easy to follow， is not why you read this book。 The main character is beautifully written， offering insights into the adults in his life while maintaining a youthful and inexperienced voice。 The book also features one of my now favourite opening lines， "My name is Karim Amir， and I am an Englishman born and bred， almost。" 。。。more
Amy Walker
，
Not my thing
Christopher
，
This is a seminal novel by Hanif Kureishi。 Karim Amir （Karim）， the son of a lower middle class interracial couple， tells his story of coming-of-age。 Analytically， the underlying theme is postcolonial migrant mobility。 The Buddha of Suburbia – set in suburban London in the 1970s – laid the groundwork for follow-on authors – and I note perhaps most prominently Zadie Smith （White Teeth， 1990） and Monica Ali （Brick Lane， 2003） – to develop and update the conceptual and theoretical terrain。From analy This is a seminal novel by Hanif Kureishi。 Karim Amir （Karim）， the son of a lower middle class interracial couple， tells his story of coming-of-age。 Analytically， the underlying theme is postcolonial migrant mobility。 The Buddha of Suburbia – set in suburban London in the 1970s – laid the groundwork for follow-on authors – and I note perhaps most prominently Zadie Smith （White Teeth， 1990） and Monica Ali （Brick Lane， 2003） – to develop and update the conceptual and theoretical terrain。From analysis of The Buddha of Suburbia， there is a lot to understand， but be clear， this is a great pleasure to read for its surface story。 But this surface story is the tip of the iceberg。 Much of what is salient is beneath the surface and needs to be revealed through analysis – and the salience of the story resonates because as readers， we unconsciously make links and see patterns， and compare and contrast characters。Karim recounts his misdemeanours in the south London suburbs and his later adventures in the cities （London and New York）。 He has an atypical insider/outsider social position as a mixed-race Englishman and second-generation immigrant rooted in the South London suburbs and bound for an indefinite future spatial and social mobility。 Kureishi introduces us beautifully to understanding the tensions among the embattled transcultural families and first and second-generation immigrants in London in the 1970s。 Karim is in-between races， in-between social classes， in-between places （in London）， and in-between families。 Karim’s personal story is thus not simply an individualist quest for self-achievement; in the context of post/modern cultural and social change， I think it is better read as a journey into remaking his identity through negotiating self， place， mobile practices and social interrelating。Kureishi imaginatively uses the device of Karim’s role acting in plays in which he is compelled to enact different identities – it’s a clever design。 This introduces the subtheme preoccupying Kureishi， that of the 1970s cultural industry， with its postmodern culture of disposable art， depthless image， simulation and multiple identities。 We see this both through Karim’s developing acting career and through the progression of his good friend Charlie （son of his father’s new partner Eva） into a rock music life and career。 Sex， drugs， and rock ‘n roll。Kureishi blurs the boundaries between transnational minority family issues and western nuclear family issues by joining race to social class and resisting unitary definitions of （migrant） individuals and communities。 Karim encapsulates social class and race struggles; he is both a second-generation immigrant lightly shouldering colonial legacies and an English teenager tempted by the possibilities of 1970s London。The book fuses minority and multicultural issues with the radically changing British society pressured by the spread of a postmodern media culture。 Such thematic amalgam is enabled by the novel’s focus on the sphere of the family and family relationships: Karim and Jamila， the two major second-generation immigrant figures in the novel， embark on separate urban journeys and play out their different struggles against family conventions and ties。 Following the break-up of their nuclear families， their personal developments unfold in terms of movement from prescribed to chosen ties， and from broken to reconstituted relationships。Kureishi builds up the duality of birth and choice， inheritance and making of kinship ties， through Karim’s journey out of his family cocoon， tracing familial and collective legacies in the process of self-orientation in the future。 What appears as a self-liberating movement outward and forward paradoxically re-orients the character towards the past as he attempts to sort out the muddle of relationships into which he has been born。The sociocultural context is one in which individuals no longer take their families for granted but sort through complex relations and model their individuality through conscious choice and adjustment。 Yet， the narrative does not assert the primacy of “routes” over “roots，” choice over inheritance。 As Karim calmly witnesses the break-up of his nuclear family and wilfully moves through a set of reconstituted， unconventional families and households， he explores and tests a series of chosen relationships as a way of reconnecting and appraising the value of genuine， time-tested kinship。 His spatial and social mobility matches a metaphorical journey into understanding his position in a complex web of familial and trans/national kinship ties ultimately tempering his mobility and enhancing his re-connection。As it acknowledges the unstable and shifting nature of identity， Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia ends with Karim’s mature rejection of selfish individualism and his embrace of social responsibility， which runs in parallel to his gradual re-connecting to family and community。 In a way， the varied levels of Karim’s emotional attachments， city， nation， community and family， are captured in the final words of Karim which comprise a mixture of regret and hope， indicating the at once fortunate and onerous loss of a social world in which relationships are taken for granted and prescribed social roles easily slipped into。 Individuals in our contemporary world are obliged to sort out “messy” relationships in the process of self-identification and self-location in family， community and nation。 。。。more
Rushiv Nayee
，
I haven't re-read a book in years。 So glad I did。 Remains brilliant！ I haven't re-read a book in years。 So glad I did。 Remains brilliant！ 。。。more
Leigh_b
，
Totally agree with the 3。75 rating that this book has。 Loved the ideas and characters explored in the book。 Structurally a little untidy。
Madeline
，
If you’ve ever read Herman Hesse and said to yourself “Hmm， if only the author was a bit more crazed and sexually frustrated…”， then this is the book for you。The book explores sexism， racism， colorism， homophobia， and classism， but only in the reflection of the mirror the main character Karim constantly poses himself in front。 These issues are minuscule to Karim， who commits himself fully to the drama of his own life。 A really unique and truly genuine depiction of how we all go through our lives If you’ve ever read Herman Hesse and said to yourself “Hmm， if only the author was a bit more crazed and sexually frustrated…”， then this is the book for you。The book explores sexism， racism， colorism， homophobia， and classism， but only in the reflection of the mirror the main character Karim constantly poses himself in front。 These issues are minuscule to Karim， who commits himself fully to the drama of his own life。 A really unique and truly genuine depiction of how we all go through our lives！ 。。。more
Georgina Catt
，
Funny！ But the ending seemed to lose track of itself and degenerate into morals。 Throughout the rest of the book the moral stuff was woven in - at the end there seemed to be a conscious shift into preachiness。 Maybe it represents Karim's coming of age but for me it was just a slow ending that didn't do justice to the rest of the novel。 Funny！ But the ending seemed to lose track of itself and degenerate into morals。 Throughout the rest of the book the moral stuff was woven in - at the end there seemed to be a conscious shift into preachiness。 Maybe it represents Karim's coming of age but for me it was just a slow ending that didn't do justice to the rest of the novel。 。。。more
Sibby Robert
，
shocking and thought provoking。 funny at times。i found myself wondering wtf i was reading like 67% of the time。 definitely not the type of book i normally read。 wouldn’t necessarily recommend it。 i do have to mention it was better than what i expected so yay？
andydy！
，
Le protagoniste est trop détestable ahaha
Dahri
，
3。5/5 stars。
Manasvini
，
（2。5 stars）
Elli
，
dnf
Losh
，
DNF at 65%。Don’t think I’ve DNFed a book， ever。 I’ve been forcing myself to get through the second half and…I’ve officially lost interest in wasting my time on something so bland。 Precious time that could be spent on much better books。 The first half was nice， good pace， interesting characters， but the second half？ Draggy， and all in all just horrible。
Goga
，
Kurejši lepo piše ali mislim da se sama priča sa svojim silnim sporednim likovima previše rasipa na sve strane。 Imam osećaj da je hteo da uključi što više tema （i to ozbiljnih， položaj manjina u Britaniji， klasne razlike， slava， seksualne slobode， spiritualnost， umetnost）， ali kako nije imao mesta za sve， skoro svaka je obrađena površno i zbrzano。 Možda i ima smisla pošto se i glavnom liku （ujedno i naratoru） žuri da pobegne od čamotinje i ustajalosti života u predgrađu。 Od svega toga ispao je k Kurejši lepo piše ali mislim da se sama priča sa svojim silnim sporednim likovima previše rasipa na sve strane。 Imam osećaj da je hteo da uključi što više tema （i to ozbiljnih， položaj manjina u Britaniji， klasne razlike， slava， seksualne slobode， spiritualnost， umetnost）， ali kako nije imao mesta za sve， skoro svaka je obrađena površno i zbrzano。 Možda i ima smisla pošto se i glavnom liku （ujedno i naratoru） žuri da pobegne od čamotinje i ustajalosti života u predgrađu。 Od svega toga ispao je konglomerat likova za čije sudbine （uglavnom） nisam naročito zaniteresovana。 Ipak， delo nije dosadno， pažnju najviše drže Kurejšijev stil i humor （nije baš vrištanje od smeha ali ima nekoliko kvalitetnih momenata）， zanimljive opaske i zapažanja o svetu， životu i ljudima uopšte， kao i dinamičnost。 Svi ti likovi i njihove priče bar pokreću radnju， tako da nijednog trenutka ne stoji u mestu， nema nepotrebniih zadržavanja。Sve u svemu， solidna trojka， neobična coming-of-age priča koja， ako i ne obrađuje do kraja， svakako pokreće neka važna pitanja。 。。。more
Krishna Srinivasan
，
Abrupt， unsatisfying and misplaced ending to a fantastic book。 The writing is grandiose and wordy but it flows impeccably。Karim is a great character: relatable， honest， and absolutely human。 All the characters are excellent - you feel as if you know them intimately， and they feel real， despite being presented in a caricature-like fashion。Best bits of the book are the humorous sections。 It often falls short of not being as sad and tender as it wants to - perhaps because of its cynical worldview。
Stuart Piper
，
Kureishi is the Dickens of 70s/80s suburbia。 Vivid， wry， heartbreaking。 While the world today has so very many challenges， I'm so glad that at least SOME brains have expanded since the claustrophobia of this time。 Kureishi is the Dickens of 70s/80s suburbia。 Vivid， wry， heartbreaking。 While the world today has so very many challenges， I'm so glad that at least SOME brains have expanded since the claustrophobia of this time。 。。。more
Misam
，
A read amidst a journey perhaps， fitting neatly and well on the cross section of diaspora and identity novels。
Mackenzie
，
An absolutely strange， remarkable read。 Vulgar in a provocative way。 Relatable in many aspects。
Juliana
，
4。5 stars
Kimberly
，
Not nearly as comic and provocative as I had hoped it to be。 While the beginning had merit， this book went in a direction that was unexpected and not nearly as fun as the first part which is about the "Buddha of suburbia。" Rathe than focus on the Buddha， the story focused on his son - a not very interesting character who wanders aimlessly through his life in London， New Your， and back again in London。 There are supporting characters/caricatures of Indians living in London who add some comic reli Not nearly as comic and provocative as I had hoped it to be。 While the beginning had merit， this book went in a direction that was unexpected and not nearly as fun as the first part which is about the "Buddha of suburbia。" Rathe than focus on the Buddha， the story focused on his son - a not very interesting character who wanders aimlessly through his life in London， New Your， and back again in London。 There are supporting characters/caricatures of Indians living in London who add some comic relief。 。。。more
Eric Camellini
，
The book narrates the story of Karim， an Indian kid from the South London suburbs。 It tells his story starting from his teen years through the moment he realized he became an adult。 To me， it seemed to tell my story， our stories: the story of people who felt they were growing up in a decaying and messed up society， who never felt at home， who kept searching for happiness outside of them - before realizing they were looking in the wrong direction。It's a story that talks about teenage rebellion， h The book narrates the story of Karim， an Indian kid from the South London suburbs。 It tells his story starting from his teen years through the moment he realized he became an adult。 To me， it seemed to tell my story， our stories: the story of people who felt they were growing up in a decaying and messed up society， who never felt at home， who kept searching for happiness outside of them - before realizing they were looking in the wrong direction。It's a story that talks about teenage rebellion， hate， love， depression， racism， politics， success， money， sex， perversion。 A story that never bores， that oscillates from funny to sad and reflective moments。 You read about Karim but think about yourself most of the time。I will cite the last few sentences of the book: I think they summarize perfectly what it is all about - and I don't think it's a spoiler， you could safely keep reading:（view spoiler）["It was a great， unsullied event。 After this there were hours of congratulation and drinking and so many people around our table I didn't have to talk much。 I could think about the past and what I'd been through as I'd struggled to locate myself and learn what the heart is。 Perhaps in the future I would live more deeply。 And so I sat in the centre of this old city that I loved， which itself sat at the bottom of a tiny Island。 I was surrounded by people I loved， and I felt happy and miserable at the same time。 I thought of what a mess everything had been， but that it wouldn't always be that way。" （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
zhixin
，
4。5/5
Cir
，
2。5
Gilly
，
Mixed feelings about this book。 Fantastic characterisation and a real blast of the past。 Strong issues of class， multiculturalism， racism and family delivered in what appears to be a very light hearted way。 Nostalgic and thought provoking。
iva°
，
za jedan prvijenac， vrlo spretno， hrabro i samouvjereno。 kureishi je beskrajno duhovit， baš nadahnut， bez cenzure; dodaj tome zaigrani prijevod borivoja radakovića koji je odradio sjajan posao i vješto prenio dušu teksta。。。 ovo je bilo zabavno do suza。
Keagan Perlette
，
This book was incredible。 The narrator， Karim， is endearing and deeply compelling。 He has an almost omnipotent gift for insight， but he's also just a foolish， horny young guy from South London。 The reflections on the motivations behind human desire， the exploration of race and class， and the tensions that accompany trying to belong somewhere are woven together by masterful character writing on the part of Kureishi。 The prose is skillfully executed but the content is so funny that when you realiz This book was incredible。 The narrator， Karim， is endearing and deeply compelling。 He has an almost omnipotent gift for insight， but he's also just a foolish， horny young guy from South London。 The reflections on the motivations behind human desire， the exploration of race and class， and the tensions that accompany trying to belong somewhere are woven together by masterful character writing on the part of Kureishi。 The prose is skillfully executed but the content is so funny that when you realize the depth of meaning in the story， you're taken aback by your own levity—like farting during a church service。 I loved this book very much。 It's a great bildungsroman that's a perfect read for anyone moving through （or who's survived） the perils of one's early 20s。 。。。more
Cruise H
，
Great story about discovering yourself amid the chaos of life and everything going on around you。 Very real story with some fantastic perspectives and ideas infused into it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Buddha of Suburbia
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Buddha of Suburbia&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft