The Buddha of Suburbia

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“A wickedly funny novel” (The New York Times) from the author of SHATTERED

“There was one copy going round our school like contraband. I read it in one sitting...I'd never read a book about anyone remotely like me before.”—Zadie Smith

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 The 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.

Winner of the Whitbread Prize for Best First Novel
  • ISBN10 014013168X
  • ISBN13 9780140131680
  • Publish Date 30 May 1991 (first published 1 May 1991)
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 30 January 2010
  • Publish Country GB
  • Imprint Penguin Books Ltd