Prick lit or naked hope? : self-exposure in Hanif Kureishi's Intimacy

Title: Prick lit or naked hope? : self-exposure in Hanif Kureishi's Intimacy
Source document: Brno studies in English. 2011, vol. 37, iss. 2, pp. [61]-77
Extent
[61]-77
  • ISSN
    0524-6881 (print)
    1805-0867 (online)
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
Hanif Kureishi's works contain numerous autobiographical features and are peopled with characters that often bear a striking similarity not only to the author himself but also to his relatives and ex-partners. Intimacy (1998) is conceived as the dramatic confessional monologue of a middle-aged man about to leave his partner and two children to live with a younger woman, an experience the author himself had not long before its publication. This article deals with the novella in the broader context of the author's late 1990s texts in order to distinguish between autobiographic narrative and writing from experience, showing that the latter rather than the former is employed in these works. Supported by Kureishi's defence of the book as a literary game it also argues that rather than providing a hateful perspective on femininity the novella offers a variation on one of the author's idiosyncrasies – a hopeful belief in love and humanity. The article further attempts to explore the possibilities and limitations of the genre of confessional narrative as exemplified in Intimacy.
References
[1] Bauman, Zygmunt (2008) The Art of Life. Cambridge: Polity Press.

[2] Brownrigg, Sylvia (1999) 'High Infidelity: An Interview with Hanif Kureishi'. Sylviabrownrigg. com. 26 May 2010. http://www.sylviabrownrigg.com/Reviews/interview-voice-kureishi.htm.

[3] Buchanan, Bradley (2007) Hanif Kureishi. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[4] Hari, Johann (2009) 'Hanif Kureishi on the couch' (interview). The Independent. 2 February 2009. 26 May 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/hanif-kureishi-on-the-couch-1522837.html.

[5] Klima, Ivan (1999) Between Security and Insecurity. London: Thames and Hudson.

[6] Kundera, Milan (2005 [1988]) The Art of the Novel. London: Faber and Faber.

[7] Kureishi, Hanif (2002) The Body. London: Faber and Faber.

[8] Kureishi, Hanif (2001) Gabriel's Gift. London: Faber and Faber.

[9] Kureishi, Hanif (1998) Intimacy. London: Faber and Faber.

[10] Kureishi, Hanif (1999a [1997]) Love in a Blue Time. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[11] Kureishi, Hanif (1999b) Midnight All Day. London: Faber and Faber.

[12] Kureishi, Yasmin (2008) 'Keep Me Out of Your Novels: Hanif Kureishi's Sister Has Had Enough'. The Independent. 4 March 2008. 26 May 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/keep-me-out-of-your-novels-hanif-kureishis-sister-has-had-enough-790839.html.

[13] Miller, Laura (1999) 'Intimacy' (Review). Salon.com. 3 March 1999. 26 May 2010. http://www.salon.com/books/review/1999/03/03/sneaks.

[14] Moore-Gilbert, Bart (2001) Hanif Kureishi. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

[15] Proctor, Minna (1999) 'Buddha Leaves Suburbia' (Review). The Nation. 1 April 1999. 26 May 2010. http://www.thenation.com/article/buddha-leaves-suburbia>.

[16] Ranasinha, Ruvani (2002) Hanif Kureishi. Devon: Northcote House.

[17] Rance, Polly (2010) 'Intimacy' (Review). The Richmond Review. 26 May 2010. http://www.richmondreview.co.uk/books/intimacy.html.

[18] Thomas, Susie (ed.) (2005) Hanif Kureishi. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

[19] Yousaf, Nahem (2002) Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia. New York, London: Continuum.