Young people no longer have hope, says Hanif Kureshi
Young people no longer have hope, says Hanif Kureshi
Source image, Getty ImagesBy Yasmin RufoBBC News
For novelist Hanif Kureshi, growing up in the 1970s was about hope and optimism - good feelings documented in his semi-autobiographical novel The Suburban Buddha.
Today, more than 30 years after the publication of his book, The Suburban Buddha is in adaptation course for the stage and Kureshi, along with director Emma Rice, reflected on one of the main themes of the book.
"On "I felt like you could do anything or be anyone," Kureshi, 69, told the BBC, reflecting on his own childhood. “Racism was certainly more overt than today, but there was still a tremendous sense of optimism – in fact, it was the last time when people had hope for the future.”
Kureshi first became famous in 1985 when his screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette - about the relationship between a British Pakistani boy and his white boyfriend - was nominated for the won both a Bafta and an Oscar.
Thinking about how different his childhood was from his sons', he says he is "sad that young people no longer have hope."
"Hope is not an empty dream, it means that there is a possibility in the world that what you want can happen, and my children don't think they will ever be able to buy a house or find a lucrative job," he explains.
People's desperation is what pushed Emma Rice to take The Buddha of Suburbia on stage. “Our show gives people hope, it shows them that we can all live together and be happy.”
For novelist Hanif Kureshi, growing up in the 1970s was about hope and optimism - good feelings documented in his semi-autobiographical novel The Suburban Buddha.
Today, more than 30 years after the publication of his book, The Suburban Buddha is in adaptation course for the stage and Kureshi, along with director Emma Rice, reflected on one of the main themes of the book.
"On "I felt like you could do anything or be anyone," Kureshi, 69, told the BBC, reflecting on his own childhood. “Racism was certainly more overt than today, but there was still a tremendous sense of optimism – in fact, it was the last time when people had hope for the future.”
Kureshi first became famous in 1985 when his screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette - about the relationship between a British Pakistani boy and his white boyfriend - was nominated for the won both a Bafta and an Oscar.
Thinking about how different his childhood was from his sons', he says he is "sad that young people no longer have hope."
"Hope is not an empty dream, it means that there is a possibility in the world that what you want can happen, and my children don't think they will ever be able to buy a house or find a lucrative job," he explains.
People's desperation is what pushed Emma Rice to take The Buddha of Suburbia on stage. “Our show gives people hope, it shows them that we can all live together and be happy.”
Source image, Getty Images
