books review

Hanif Kureishi

Brighton Festival

Hanif Kureishi's deadpan humour livened up this talk, centring on his new novel 'Something to Tell You'. In what mainly became a discussion about the craft of writing, Hanif both admitted that he rarely reads fiction any more, and that the job of a writer is sometimes "half art–half business transaction", but the deeply engaged way in which he spoke of his work made that statement seem overly cynical. Comparing the creation of new characters to the process of psychoanalysis - both involve an attempt at getting thoroughly into the head of another person - he gave inspiring insights into the background to both his novels and film scripts. An interesting evening with one of Britain's most treasured artists.

Corn Exchange, 20 May, 7:30pm, £7.50, fpp 35

tw rating: 4/5

published: Aug-2008

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