Hanif Kureishi

My family moved to Pakistan after partition. All my many uncles and aunts and cousins and so on, they moved from India to Pakistan to be safe in Pakistan, which is a Muslim state.

Yeah, that's the story. My dad came to the UK around that time, so he didn't go to Pakistan. He stayed in Britain, but he worked in the Pakistan embassy and so became Pakistani even though he hadn't actually been to Pakistan. It sounds like an odd thing, but it's the case.

Yeah, that's the story. My dad came to the UK around that time, so he didn't go to Pakistan. He stayed in Britain, but he worked in the Pakistan embassy and so became Pakistani even though he hadn't actually been to Pakistan. It sounds like an odd thing, but it's the case.

Yeah, that's the story. My dad came to the UK around that time, so he didn't go to Pakistan. He stayed in Britain, but he worked in the Pakistan embassy and so became Pakistani even though he hadn't actually been to Pakistan. It sounds like an odd thing, but it's the case.

That was a very common designation for anyone actually who was oriental looking or brown or whatever. We were all called Pakis, whether we were from Sri Lanka or India or Pakistan or wherever. Paki was the sort of ubiquitous insult thrown at us.

That was a very common designation for anyone actually who was oriental looking or brown or whatever. We were all called Pakis, whether we were from Sri Lanka or India or Pakistan or wherever. Paki was the sort of ubiquitous insult thrown at us.

That was a very common designation for anyone actually who was oriental looking or brown or whatever. We were all called Pakis, whether we were from Sri Lanka or India or Pakistan or wherever. Paki was the sort of ubiquitous insult thrown at us.

Yeah, I mean, my father worked in the Pakistan embassy and so was very aware of what was going on, of how many people from Pakistan and India were coming to the UK. I mean, in those days, my father was automatically a British citizen. If you were born in India, which was then part of the empire, you were automatically British. So my dad always had a British passport.

Yeah, I mean, my father worked in the Pakistan embassy and so was very aware of what was going on, of how many people from Pakistan and India were coming to the UK. I mean, in those days, my father was automatically a British citizen. If you were born in India, which was then part of the empire, you were automatically British. So my dad always had a British passport.

Yeah, I mean, my father worked in the Pakistan embassy and so was very aware of what was going on, of how many people from Pakistan and India were coming to the UK. I mean, in those days, my father was automatically a British citizen. If you were born in India, which was then part of the empire, you were automatically British. So my dad always had a British passport.

england was largely white but i think the the immigrant ethic is probably like the immigrant ethic in the in the united states you know that you were coming to a new country and it would be a new start for you it was a clean slate you would get educated you could bring up your kids um you know britain was a was a really civilized well-organized law-abiding country uh

england was largely white but i think the the immigrant ethic is probably like the immigrant ethic in the in the united states you know that you were coming to a new country and it would be a new start for you it was a clean slate you would get educated you could bring up your kids um you know britain was a was a really civilized well-organized law-abiding country uh

england was largely white but i think the the immigrant ethic is probably like the immigrant ethic in the in the united states you know that you were coming to a new country and it would be a new start for you it was a clean slate you would get educated you could bring up your kids um you know britain was a was a really civilized well-organized law-abiding country uh

And he just left the chaos of India, you remember, after partition. And my dad thought it was fantastic. You get free education. You could go to the doctor, the dentist. We had the welfare state. There was a rising standard of living in the 1960s. There was the Beatles. There was pop. There was the 60s, what we called the 60s and so on.

And he just left the chaos of India, you remember, after partition. And my dad thought it was fantastic. You get free education. You could go to the doctor, the dentist. We had the welfare state. There was a rising standard of living in the 1960s. There was the Beatles. There was pop. There was the 60s, what we called the 60s and so on.

And he just left the chaos of India, you remember, after partition. And my dad thought it was fantastic. You get free education. You could go to the doctor, the dentist. We had the welfare state. There was a rising standard of living in the 1960s. There was the Beatles. There was pop. There was the 60s, what we called the 60s and so on.

So my dad saw it as a great opportunity for us, his kids, to do really well. Of course, at that time in Britain, particularly where I was in South London, there was a lot of violence. There was a lot of racism. There were a lot of attacks on people like us of colour. and we were terrified of that, and we used to run and have to hide, and my father was frightened and so on.

So my dad saw it as a great opportunity for us, his kids, to do really well. Of course, at that time in Britain, particularly where I was in South London, there was a lot of violence. There was a lot of racism. There were a lot of attacks on people like us of colour. and we were terrified of that, and we used to run and have to hide, and my father was frightened and so on.

So my dad saw it as a great opportunity for us, his kids, to do really well. Of course, at that time in Britain, particularly where I was in South London, there was a lot of violence. There was a lot of racism. There were a lot of attacks on people like us of colour. and we were terrified of that, and we used to run and have to hide, and my father was frightened and so on.

It was quite tough and rough, but on the whole, my father was really pleased that he had come to Britain and given us the chance as his kids to grow up in Britain and to do well. He thought it was a great opportunity for us, and he believed that I, his son, could become a significant writer, you know, that the world was our oyster, there were opportunities in Britain.