Book Description: Magical realism has become almost synonymous with Latin American fiction, but this way of representing the layered and often contradictory reality of the topsy-turvy, late-capitalist, globalizing world finds equally vivid expression in U.S. multiethnic and British postcolonial literature and film. Writers and filmmakers such as Oscar "Zeta" Acosta, Ana Castillo, Julie Dash, Hanif Kureishi, and Salman Rushdie have made brilliant use of magical realism to articulate the trauma of dislocation and the legacies of colonialism that people of color experience in the postcolonial, multiethnic world. This book seeks to redeem and refine the theory of magical realism in U.S. multiethnic and British postcolonial literature and film. The author engages in theoretically sophisticated readings of Ana Castillo's So Far from God, Oscar "Zeta" Acost's Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Shame, The Satanic Verses, and The Moor's Last Sigh, Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust, and Stephen Frears and Hanif Kureishi's Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. Coining the term "magicorealism" to characterize these works, Aldama not only creates a postethnic critical methodology for enlarging the contact zone between the genres of novel, film, and autobiography, but also shatters the interpretive lens that traditionally confuses the transcription of the real world, where truth and falsity apply, with narrative modes governed by other criteria.

Reviews:
"In this exciting new book, Frederick Luis Aldama has done an outstanding job of remapping 'magical realism"--Werner Sollors, Henry B. and Anne M. Cabot Professor of English Literature and Professor of Afro-American Studies, Harvard University.

"Frederick Luis Aldama offers a vigorous revisionary perspective on postcolonial literature and, more specifically, on the much discussed phenomenon of magicorealism. He has a commanding knowledge of postcolonial theory, and he performs a welcome critical task in demonstrating how it tends to confuse the confines of the academy with the contours of the real world, textuality with ontology. Aldama himself is a political critic, but he sanely argues that the arena of any serious politics is the world of living people and not a text"--Robert Alter, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of California at Berkeley and author of Canon and Creativity.

"Providing a lucid and cogent critique of the tendency in contemporary criticism to ontologize "magical realism," a tendency that implicitly articulates a relatively simple mimetic relationship between "magical realism" and various postcolonial cultures, Frederick Aldama instead posits a theory of what he calls "rebellious mimetics" that introduces a complex aesthetic and political mediation in that relationship. In doing so, he weaves together a series of excellent analyses of novels and films by authors and artists as diverse as Salman Rushdie, Ana Castillio, Oscar Zeta Acosta, Julie Dash, and Hanif Kureishi. This is a very significant contribution to the study of this genre"--Abdul R. JanMohamed, Professor of English, University of California, Berkeley.

"In this insightful and forceful study of magical realism, Aldama successfully argues that a true postethnic and postcolonial criticism should not (con)fuse the world with the text. His commentaries on Castillo, Dash, Kureishi, Acosta, and Rushdie force the readers to see these artists' magicorealist works in a new light, thus revealing all of their splendid and contradictory complexities. Aldama's book is a must for anyone who wishes to understand the intricacies of magical realism and the vitality of this genre in contemporary European postcolonial and ethnic American literature and scholarship"--Emilio Bejel, Professor of Spanish American Literature, University of Colorado at Boulder and author of Gay Cuban Nation.

"Through a study of the playful narrative techniques of writers and film-makers such as Dash, Garcia Marquez, Rushdie and Kureishi, Frederick Luis Aldama offers a powerful critique of those who view magical realism as either a means toward postcolonial resistance or as a depiction of some exotic real world. Proposing a "postethnic" approach, Aldama argues convincingly that a reader's or viewer's understanding of the aesthetic dimensions of what he calls "magicorealism" can lead to greater political understanding than older, more ideologically oriented interpretations"--Herbert Lindenberger, Avalon Professor of Humanities, Emeritus, Stanford University.

"It is rare that we come across a truly great book, one in which fierce intelligence asserts itself in pages that truly matter. Such a book assigns us the task of reordering what we have taken as true on the promise of an understanding more profound. In such a book, we are guided by extraordinary vision, by an author with keen insight. In the rarest of occasions, we read words that are wise, words that make broad connection and interrogate a range of thought that afterwards we deem necessary. Postethnic Narrative Criticism is such a book; Frederick Aldama is such an author"--Alfred Arteaga, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley.

This work offers a highly valuable rethinking of magical realism, one that assesses previous work in new ways, one that extends the historical reach of arguments about magical realism, and one that brings a new level of sophistication to arguments about it"--Carl Guitierrez-Jones, Professor and Chair, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Enfin! Postethnic Narrative Criticism is the first book in ethnic and postcolonial literary and film studies that cuts through Gordian knots that arise from confusing narrative fiction (a complexly organized aesthetic that uses point of view, style, and genre to engage readers) with the facts that make up our reality outside of the text.
This is a must read for any reader interested in moving away from studies--poststructrualist or otherwise--that lead to dead ends.
It is a must read for readers tired of jargon and fundamental misconceptions of what novels and films can do in the world at large.

Calling for active participation from knowledgeable and intelligent readers, Post-Ethnic Narrative Criticism serves as a well drawn out map for literary exploration through an innovative approach to understanding complicated literature and films. Thought his engagement as an author, Aldama speaks directly to his audience in a manner that is candid, forthright, and compelling. Although this is a difficult text- one that must not be taken lightly, this work acknowledges real dilemmas of real peoples, and offers up a critically and emotionally balanced understanding of the often-subtle dilemmas of contemporary narratology confronting such peoples.
As a result of my own time spent with this text I have walked away with a greater understanding of how narrative techniques inform textual spaces of those who are often placeless, and how this (dis)location functions both inside and out of the academy.

As a big fan of Kureishi's work I can say that this book lives up to the legend of this great storyteller. Excellent use of descriptive language in this tale or greatness, artistry, and sorrow. Highly recommended!

As 1970s Britain cast off the last tentative fragments of empire and lurched reluctantly into modern multiculturalism, complete with a racist backlash, a national identity crisis, and an economic recession to boot, a new society was painfully born in which popular culture was up for grabs and a jaded punk-rock decay took hold in the Babylon that is London. Few writers have described this environment better than Hanif Kureishi. The Buddha of Suburbia is his best book, and the BBC adaptation starring Naveen Andrews (of the English Patient) as Karim doesn't come close to doing it justice. Although The Buddha suffers from a certain shallowness of character, which is bound to happen whenever an author puts culture and setting ahead of individual, this flaw is offset by the brilliance with which Kureishi navigates the various identity crises in Karim's life that mirror those of Britain as a society. It is sheer genius to cast the postmodern soul of Britain as an Anglo-Pakistani youth. No character better illustrates the up-for-grabs nature of this changing society, and the supporting characters like Charlie, Changez and The Buddha (Dad), while degenerating into shallow caricatures of real people at times, are thrilling examples of decadence and personal struggle that will hold any reader's attention. Altough Kureishi's favored medium is the screenplay (Beautiful Laundrette, Sammy and Rosie, etc.) The Buddha of Suburbia should be given "classic" status as a near-perfect example of the "multicultural novel," mainly because it dives deep into identity politics without becoming a one-dimensional PC sermon.

Welcome to a world constructed by genius, humour and frequent moments of radicalism. The Buddha of Suburbia was
awarded the Whitbread Prize for First Noel (1990) and what a stunning debut work it is. Set in the South London suburbs,
Karim Amir is an Indian teenager growing up in the 1970s, learning to cope with adolescence and all its trappings. This frank and imaginative work reveals his personal traumae, loves, desires and wishes whilst he observes those around him with the
same regard that a psychologist has for his patients. The father who changes from civil Servant to 'Buddha of Suburbia', the
teenage rock star, Charlie Hero, who operates as a young Marxist and introduces Karim to sex, drugs and the real life behind a
drab and grey London, each character possesses a vibrancy and colour that contrasts brilliantly with their repressed and
conservative surroundings.

This is the sort of novel which appeals to all age ranges, identifying with teenage angst and confusion, exploring the power of the mid-life crisis and defying the spectre of old age, something Kureishi banishes with panache. From Karim's secret love for his idol, Charlie, and Charlie's descent into the underworld of teenage revolutionaries, The Buddha of Suburbia is the sort of novel which can be read again and again, finding some startling nuance of society each time.

The Buddha of Suburbia is a coming-of-age novel that takes place in the suburbs near London in the 70s. Although its 'Indians in England' theme could easily have become an overly earnest exploration of ethnicity and gender and culture, Kureishi has the sense to spare us all that. Instead he's written a hilarious but often touching story in which the wit and energy of individuals are what's important.

Karim Amir, the narrator, is a 21-year-old Englishman of Indian descent who's at a crossroads in his life. He's waiting for something important to happen, but, uncertain as to what that thing is exactly, ends up just sort of hanging out, going from place to place. This gives the book a kind of wandering and aimless feel. You have several different plot lines: Karim's father leaving his mother for a London socialite and simultaneously becoming an Indian buddha adored by upper class white people; Amir's ultra-feminist friend Jamila having sex in bathrooms, studying martial arts in preparation for the Revolution, and being forced to marry a sheepish fat man from India because her father threatens to starve himself to death; Karim himself, joining an acting group to become famous but playing a ridiculous Mowgli in a production of the Jungle Book; Karim's ambitious and self-obsessed friend, Charlie, becoming a rock star and pressing the limits of sexuality by having hot candle wax dripped on his penis.

These events don't make for the most cohesive plot, but the characters themselves more than make up for it. You see Karim's parents and friends and associates as kind of sad and pathetic and funny and frustrated little people. Whereas others are intimidated or inspired or in awe of them, Karim is able to sit back and laugh at it all. There are some great moments here: My favorite is when Changez-the sheepish, fat, Arthur Conan Doyle-worshipping Indian Jamila has been forced to marry-somehow manages to clobber his father-in-law in the head with a dildo. It's one of the many scenes that are funny in a sleazy, I-shouldn't-be-laughing-at-that kind of way.

Although this book is a lot of fun to read, what really takes it to the next level is Karim's constant, gnawing sense of isolation and uncertainty about the future. Karim sees the people around him as examples of what he could become, and he senses who is pure and who isn't, and more than anything he wants to remain interesting and malleable and inspired; he's terrified of the boredom and misery associated with growing up in suburbia. I read this book when I want to be reminded of the importance of paying attention and having sex in bathrooms and laughing and taking chances and refusing to settle down.

a compelling love story set against a backdrop of violent race relations in the apocalyptic urban wasteland of modern London.

Peter Chaudhry

Though the surroundings is against this homo-couple - economic situation, racial backround, family and friends - their love lives, great..good reading, even or just because of the film is known

But pretty tasty. Shahid is not as interesting as the hero in Buddha (forget his name) was. He's not as smart, doesn't have as much gusto to know and love and live in the world, he's not as daring, but he's good. Furthermore the supporting characters, unlike the father and the rock star from Buddha, are all caracatures, some of which intially show promise, like his neighbor, the leader of a fanatical Muslim group, who originally shows an understanding passionate ear to Shahid, but then all but disappears or becomes a complete mockery. He could have been better. If Shahid was looking for brotherhood and found something attractive in the group, it is never explored. He never seems to care, not care, agree, or disagree, and I don't know whether this was Kureishi's point, or if the book was just poorly written. His lover lacks depth, as does his brother. The drugdealer proves to be boring and not worth reading, and then finally, his family history, his place, is never explored. Nothing is resolved, its a sitcom-type of comedy, but it is often a fun read. The raves and the chases and the experiences are all quite easy and fun to read, but the story never takes off like Buddha. I guess it stays closer to home, its a little more realistic, but overall, the book is much weaker than Buddha of Suburbia.

I consider Kureishi as one of the best writers of recent times. The "Black Album" won't disappoint you if you are familiar with his style. It's an entertaining and easy read - even if a little morose at times (all in line with the authors style). This book has a similar story line ot "Buddha of Suburbia" which I maintain is still the author's best book.

He's got style, but not in any exagerated sense. And anyway its the material that grabs you. Very human- the material, his characters aren't so much out of the ordinary, but Kureishi wrings out of them these cooly intense, never contrived kinds of feelings. More importantly I'm 22, Eritrean, grew up in CA, and I don't think I've ever read a book that made this kind of a connection with me. Anyway I think a lot of you displaced foreign born kids out there will really be vibing with his stuff.

Hanif Kureishi has managed to pack more honesty, pain, and intimacy into this small, 120 page novel than any author I have read. It's brutally honest as well as heartbreaking, and captures the feelings of many people who are in relationships and struggling to stay together in our modern times. Hanif vividly describes the fears, desires and challenges a man must face when he decides one night to leave his wife and two children, as he feels there is no more passion left in their relationship. Is he making the right decision? How will it effect his wife and children? The fears and challenges the whole family faces, and how it all turns out, is surely an emotional read, and a lesson for anyone going through similar problems in a relationship.

This is a great follow-up story from the author who wrote "MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE" and "THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA", and should not be missed. Although I found myself reading way past the midnight hour, it was worth it. This is a book I will always remember.

Joe Hanssen

Kureishi is undoubtedly a wonderful storyteller. To get a better idea of his work and the vast scope it covers, I'd suggest reading "Buddha of Suburbia" first, because of how it deals with so many more issues like race and immigracy. But "Intimacy" is a quicker, easier read, and a work which is compelling. At the heart of it, is a love story. It is a philosophical questioning of love, marriage, sex and fidelity. One of the things that marks Kureishi's writing is how he philosophizes in a manner that is not heavy, how he is able to doubt himself and acknowledge his morals and prejudices. The views might be dark and cynical sometimes, but always freshingly realistic. The plot is quick, the language is tight and the characters are complex and fascinating, to say the least. "Intimacy" is a book I'm going to keep for my library.

This slim volume is likely one of the best books I've ever read, on par with Philip Roth's "The Dying Animal," Camus' "The Stranger," and reflective and insightful not unlike some of Paul Auster's work, most notably his early essay, "The Invention of Solitude." Kureishi was attacked by outraged feminists at the time of it's original publication, but it's as honest an account of masculinity as I have ever read. Even my wife -- normally a fan of genre fiction -- read "Intimacy" and loved it. Throughout most of Kureishi's writing, there is a blue melancholy and a wry, self-deprecating wit. There is much of that here, but there is also anger. .....If you saw the film "Intimacy," which was based on this book, just know the two are very different. The film actually took from a several of his short stories....Lastly, if you're a Kureishi fan and are travelling to Europe any time soon, check out the bookstores there. There are several of his works available in English-language bookstores (especially in Paris) that are unavailable here.

For those (like me) familiar with Kureishi only via his film work, the stories here will not surprise, as they exhibit his usual sensitive approach to the themes of cross-cultural difficulties and men completely adrift in their middle-age. The ten stories--most in the 5-15 page range with three 40+ pagers mixed in--are fairly mixed in quality, there are a few failures, but what is good is exceedingly good. In the cross-cultural difficulties category are three workmanlike, but unremarkable stories: "We're Not Jews," "With Your Tongue Down My Throat," and "My Son the Fanatic." The latter offers an excellent example of how a somewhat offhand short story can be turned into a quite compelling and powerful film. The other seven stories all deal in one way or another with men struggling to come to terms with marriage, responsibility, commitment, and sheer growing up--or more often, not struggling but trying to simply avoid it all. Two of these, "The Flies" and "The Tale of the Turd" wander off into Gogolish territory to no great effect. Kureishi's writing is inarguably strong, and he's able to make his characters come alive with a minimum of words, and often with a fair dose of humor. But while it's fun to read the stories just to enjoy good writing, too many of these men start to feel like they're living under the same desperate cloud, which gets tiresome.

Hanif Kureishi is a gifted but sometimes very self-indulgent writer. He is especially good at writing about lost love-starved Brits. (Money in Kureishi's tales has much of the abstractness that money has for me. In contrast, drugs are something he knows!)

"The flies" is a failure attempting to write a Kafkaesque parable. Not just a failure, but unreadable. But I found "Nightlight" incisive as well as evocative. "My son the fanatic" and "D'accord, baby" are also splendid social comedies (not really so far from Austen, except in graphicness and being set in a multiracial England). The title story seems to me a London version of "True West" (without ties of blood). And "With your tongue stuck down my throat" is hilarious.

I was excited and refreshed to read the first(title)story in this collection. It was smart, hip, insightful and moved at a rate that was fun after slogging through a lot of modern "literary" fiction. Unfortunately the later stories in the collection were darker, slower and in the case of "Flies"-too self-consciously symbolic("The Turd" seemed too outrageous to take the symbolism seriously). As a guy in late middle age who has long since left drugged-out, lost friends it was refreshing to relive the hilarity, pain and eventual insanity of that wonderfully self-centered life-without-limits.

As a huge fan of Hanif K, I was looking forward to this book, and it's very well done. The opening chapter basically consists of the most in-depth interview with Hanif that I've ever read, and it's absolutely fascinating. Consider this: 'To try to fit in with (the world) would prevent you from writing anything. For example, does the world want a film about a gay Nazi running a launderette? The work creates the market rather than the other way around, as with, for example, postcolonial writing where the works create the interest and the label comes later. When you imagine a mixed-race Asian living in the South London suburbs, you can't ask if anyone *wants* to read about him because no one *has* previously written about him, so you can't know.'

Nahem Yousaf's discussion of TBOS is equally interesting, and he writes brilliantly about the BBC television adaptation, too. If you haven't seen that yet, please try to get hold of it on video! All in all, this is an excellent little book. Recommended.

This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and although it does not entertain to the same extent as BUDDHA the writing is clear sharp, honest and original. The story of INTIMACY is very one dimensional and therefore reads very autobiographical. There is very little characterisation of anyone in the book except the protagonist, which almost confirms the autobiographic theory. I liked the honesty, the weakness, the selfishness, the sheer madness of the thoughts and situation - it all rings very true from what I felt. It was like reading someones diary almost so the voyeurs out there will love it. There is plenty to dislike in the book but I read it in a day and a half and i dont do that often, the ending for example is weak, pathetic and superficial, bit like the author really, I am not saying this in a bad way, the character is just not very likable, no wonder his life is a disaster! Read it and be glad that you are not him.

This set of stories from Kureishi is concerned with the onset of middle age. A series of characters all reach a stage in their lives (around 40 years of age) where they hit a crisis: previous certainties disintegrate, whether they are expressed in the form of their marriages (as in "Intimacy") or in their careers (as in "Sucking Stones"). Throughout the stories, Kureishi's characters experience disillusionment, a sense of failure or underachievement and a desperate urge to start anew.

Although the final story, "The Penis", is more light-hearted, this is a deeply introspective collection of stories. I seem to recall when I first read "Intimacy", which was published originally as a novella, that Kureishi had been going through a huge disruption in his personal life. If my memory is correct, then that would explain the confessional feel of "Intimacy", and indeed would go some way to understanding the author's exploration of this particularly difficult time of life in the other stories.

So, if you're searching for something to uplift your spirits, this collection might not be for you. On the other hand, if you've experienced any of the difficulties Kureishi explores, there might be solace in the fact that others go through similar trials. If neither of the above apply, this is still an interesting collection from a skilled writer, perhaps at a key stage in his development.

Of course, the stories are of variable quality. I thought that "Intimacy" was by far the best, as it felt (achingly at times) very personal. Others are somewhat inconclusive, but mood and exploration of emotions seemed to be Kureishi's main aim rather than plot resolution.

G Rodgers

I think that the story is a mixture of a lot of ideas and feelings and very difficult to explain or to interpret.The relationships between the characters are intricate.The conflict between father and son only exist, because none of them is able to talk about their ideas. Parvez, the father uses his son to brag and doesn't want to accept the right situation. The son, Ali, is religious and doesn't want to accept the life-style of his father.He wants to live like his ancestors in Pakistan, but when Parvez wants to talk, Ali isn't interested. Although they have a different behaviour, I think that their heart is the same.

It is an interesting shortstory. It is a story about a father son conflict, about intolerant parents who try to force their will by exerting violence on someone.A big problem in this story is the contrast between western civilisation and the Islamic world and their religion. I think this story is a good example for problems like different religions, intolerance, growing up, family problems, conflicts, etc. An extreme situation is shown to learn from it and to draw attention to the problems of the readers. In my opinion it could be very helpful not to do the same mistake as Parvez, the father in the story, did.

My Son the fanatic is a short story of an immigrant from Pakistan. The underlying theme of this novel is the struggle of the asian immigrants face in an alien society which refuses to accept them, treat them as equals and the ways in which they deal with the alienation. There is a sharp contrast in the way Pervez and his son Farid deal with the sense of belonging and being a part of society.

With all the compromises and loses Pervez suffers in his migration; he appears to take them as a part of his experience and adventure of life; to him it seems to be worth the price. He mentions how better his life has been in comparison to having stayed back. He refuses to acknowledge the cold behavior of the local British.

His son Farid on the other hand seems to have considerable anger and is not disillusioned by the British cold behavior. He finds the society constraining, limiting and degrading and feels to be a victim in his country. Having been excluded he is tempted to exclude others. He finds comfort with his own people and gets attached towards Islam. Having been brought up in secular Britan , he would turn the to a form of belief that denies him the pleasure of society in which he lived. Having devoted his life to pleasure: the pleasure of sex, music, alcohol and friends; he detracts and spends time in abstinence; for in abstinence he felt strong.

Hanif in his short novel has touched the conflicts a lot of asian families feel having migrated to a foreign country. He has outlined the characters brilliantly and this is most certainly a very entertaining novel to read.