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Dreaming and Scheming: Collected Prose by Kureishi, Hanif (2002) Paperback
This volume collects the best of the non-fiction writings by Hanif Kureishi since 1985. These include political essays, diaries of film-making collaborations, essays about his father, analyses of both the craft and the job of writing - and, above all, explorations of how the life of the mind expresses itself in creative endeavours.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Hanif Kureishi
128 books1,128 followersHanif Kureishi is the author of novels (including The Buddha of Suburbia, The Black Album and Intimacy), story collections (Love in a Blue Time, Midnight All Day, The Body), plays (including Outskirts, Borderline and Sleep With Me), and screenplays (including My Beautiful Laundrette, My Son the Fanatic and Venus). Among his other publications are the collection of essays Dreaming and Scheming, The Word and the Bomb and the memoir My Ear at His Heart.
Kureishi was born in London to a Pakistani father and an English mother. His father, Rafiushan, was from a wealthy Madras family, most of whose members moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947. He came to Britain to study law but soon abandoned his studies. After meeting and marrying Kureishi’s mother Audrey, Rafiushan settled in Bromley, where Kureishi was born, and worked at the Pakistan Embassy.
Kureishi attended Bromley Technical High School where David Bowie had also been a pupil and after taking his A levels at a local sixth form college, he spent a year studying philosophy at Lancaster University before dropping out. Later he attended King’s College London and took a degree in philosophy. In 1985 he wrote My Beautiful Laundrette, a screenplay about a gay Pakistani-British boy growing up in 1980’s London for a film directed by Stephen Frears. It won the New York Film Critics Best Screenplay Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay.
His book The Buddha of Suburbia (1990) won the Whitbread Award for the best first novel, and was also made into a BBC television series with a soundtrack by David Bowie. The next year, 1991, saw the release of the feature film entitled London Kills Me; a film written and directed Kureishi.
His novel Intimacy (1998) revolved around the story of a man leaving his wife and two young sons after feeling physically and emotionally rejected by his wife. This created certain controversy as Kureishi himself had recently left his wife and two young sons. It is assumed to be at least semi-autobiographical. In 2000/2001 the novel was loosely adapted to a movie Intimacy by Patrice Chéreau, which won two Bears at the Berlin Film Festival: a Golden Bear for Best Film, and a Silver Bear for Best Actress (Kerry Fox). It was controversial for its unreserved sex scenes. The book was translated into Persian by Niki Karimi in 2005.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Kureishi is married and has a pair of twins and a younger son.
Kureishi was born in London to a Pakistani father and an English mother. His father, Rafiushan, was from a wealthy Madras family, most of whose members moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947. He came to Britain to study law but soon abandoned his studies. After meeting and marrying Kureishi’s mother Audrey, Rafiushan settled in Bromley, where Kureishi was born, and worked at the Pakistan Embassy.
Kureishi attended Bromley Technical High School where David Bowie had also been a pupil and after taking his A levels at a local sixth form college, he spent a year studying philosophy at Lancaster University before dropping out. Later he attended King’s College London and took a degree in philosophy. In 1985 he wrote My Beautiful Laundrette, a screenplay about a gay Pakistani-British boy growing up in 1980’s London for a film directed by Stephen Frears. It won the New York Film Critics Best Screenplay Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay.
His book The Buddha of Suburbia (1990) won the Whitbread Award for the best first novel, and was also made into a BBC television series with a soundtrack by David Bowie. The next year, 1991, saw the release of the feature film entitled London Kills Me; a film written and directed Kureishi.
His novel Intimacy (1998) revolved around the story of a man leaving his wife and two young sons after feeling physically and emotionally rejected by his wife. This created certain controversy as Kureishi himself had recently left his wife and two young sons. It is assumed to be at least semi-autobiographical. In 2000/2001 the novel was loosely adapted to a movie Intimacy by Patrice Chéreau, which won two Bears at the Berlin Film Festival: a Golden Bear for Best Film, and a Silver Bear for Best Actress (Kerry Fox). It was controversial for its unreserved sex scenes. The book was translated into Persian by Niki Karimi in 2005.
He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Kureishi is married and has a pair of twins and a younger son.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2019
Something Given, The Rainbow Sign, The Road Exactly, Some Time With Stephen, Dreaming and Scheming
January 12, 2024
It's definitely worth reading as not only does it provide some history, but it also talks about the process of writing a novel and how that can turn into filmmaking. This collection of essays really taught me a lot on what it means to be a writer and how other people's ideas and contributions can make it both a lot easier and more inspirational. I most definitely enjoyed reading this as it gave me some good advice on how I can spend more time writing. I was also able to really connect more with this book as it was very relatable to people who want to write.
April 27, 2020
A good book to read..from south Asian Perspective
June 10, 2025
Hanif Kureishi speaks about writing and teaching as if he’s the first person to ever do it. The quality of his writing is also poor, relying on lists, passive sentences and frequently incorrect punctuation. His inflated sense of self colours in old ideas with the vitality of a pioneer; the result is an embarrassing read.
About receiving feedback for his own work, he says, ‘To my surprise I received a good deal of criticism.’ About his students, he says, ‘It’s odd, too, how sometimes they cannot tell the difference between the good work and the not-so-good,’ and, ‘What shocks me is how little they read. While they mention some contemporary or fashionable novels, there are few “classics” or philosophy, and little poetry.’ About no longer reading (notice the hypocrisy), he says, ‘I have my own voice and concerns as a writer. I’m less likely to learn from anyone else…there always seems to be something more important to do than remaining in close contact with the mind and feelings of a stranger.’
Another reason to avoid this book as a writing guide is because of the recurring contempt Hanif Kureishi displays for his students. About them, he says, ‘I looked around the young faces in my group and asked weather they wanted to be working writers, as opposed to people who might write for pleasure…all of them put their hands up. I thought: none of you have any idea what it’s like to support three kids and run a house by writing.’ Kureishi clearly mistakes the luck and divine timing of his career trajectory for pure talent. And as a writing teacher, he has no right to judge those who have the same dreams as he did.
Kureishi’s inability to witness his own contradictions is the reason why his writing should not be used as a tool for education. Again, this can be summarised by his own ego: ‘My doubts about what I can offer as a teacher don’t diminish.’ As a reader, you must take his word for the opposite.
About receiving feedback for his own work, he says, ‘To my surprise I received a good deal of criticism.’ About his students, he says, ‘It’s odd, too, how sometimes they cannot tell the difference between the good work and the not-so-good,’ and, ‘What shocks me is how little they read. While they mention some contemporary or fashionable novels, there are few “classics” or philosophy, and little poetry.’ About no longer reading (notice the hypocrisy), he says, ‘I have my own voice and concerns as a writer. I’m less likely to learn from anyone else…there always seems to be something more important to do than remaining in close contact with the mind and feelings of a stranger.’
Another reason to avoid this book as a writing guide is because of the recurring contempt Hanif Kureishi displays for his students. About them, he says, ‘I looked around the young faces in my group and asked weather they wanted to be working writers, as opposed to people who might write for pleasure…all of them put their hands up. I thought: none of you have any idea what it’s like to support three kids and run a house by writing.’ Kureishi clearly mistakes the luck and divine timing of his career trajectory for pure talent. And as a writing teacher, he has no right to judge those who have the same dreams as he did.
Kureishi’s inability to witness his own contradictions is the reason why his writing should not be used as a tool for education. Again, this can be summarised by his own ego: ‘My doubts about what I can offer as a teacher don’t diminish.’ As a reader, you must take his word for the opposite.
October 10, 2011
Este libro llevaba años en mi biblioteca, de esos libros que siempre dices que vas a leer ahora si, y nunca llegas a empezarlos. Después estuve meses con lo mismo cuando lo empecé, y acabé brincándome varias partes.
Por qué insistir? Qué tiene Kureishi que me have querer leer este o cualquier libro suyo?
Creo que es la cercanía que tiene con la cultura pop. Ha escrito para cine y sus historias siempre tienen mucho rock, no solo por sus referencias a la música, sino porque sus personajes tienen mucho encanto y muchas veces son medio destructores. Cuando vi a Daniel Day Lewis en My Beautiful Laundrette quedé flechada para siempre.
En total me quedo con soñar y contar (sobre escribir) lenguas sueltas (sobre el silencio, aunque esto es simplificarlo mucho, porque habla de lo importantes que son las palabras para expresar emociones, si las callamos, afloran de cualquier otra manera) Filmando "Intimidad" (en donde se adentra en las ventajas de la colaboración) y Ocho brazos para abrazarte (sobre los Beatles)
Su descripción de la voz de John Lennon me encantó:
"...no era emoliente e instructiva, era directa y muy a la moda. Complacía sin pretenderlo. La voz de Lennon no deja de intrigarme, y no sólo por razones nostálgicas sino por el alcance de lo que dice. Era una voz firme pero cruel y dura; a nadie le gustaría ser criticado por ella. También es atrevida, muy melancólica y experimentada, llena de dudas, confianza y humor. Es expresiva, encantadora y sensual; esconde muy pocas cosas, algo que no ocurre, por ejemplo, con la voz de George Harrison. Es agresiva y combativa, pero su violencia es atractiva porque parece surgir de su apasionada participación en el mundo. Es la voz de alguien que está vivo tanto en la mente como en los sentimientos; procede de alguien que ha comprendido sus experiencias y conoce su valor."
Por qué insistir? Qué tiene Kureishi que me have querer leer este o cualquier libro suyo?
Creo que es la cercanía que tiene con la cultura pop. Ha escrito para cine y sus historias siempre tienen mucho rock, no solo por sus referencias a la música, sino porque sus personajes tienen mucho encanto y muchas veces son medio destructores. Cuando vi a Daniel Day Lewis en My Beautiful Laundrette quedé flechada para siempre.
En total me quedo con soñar y contar (sobre escribir) lenguas sueltas (sobre el silencio, aunque esto es simplificarlo mucho, porque habla de lo importantes que son las palabras para expresar emociones, si las callamos, afloran de cualquier otra manera) Filmando "Intimidad" (en donde se adentra en las ventajas de la colaboración) y Ocho brazos para abrazarte (sobre los Beatles)
Su descripción de la voz de John Lennon me encantó:
"...no era emoliente e instructiva, era directa y muy a la moda. Complacía sin pretenderlo. La voz de Lennon no deja de intrigarme, y no sólo por razones nostálgicas sino por el alcance de lo que dice. Era una voz firme pero cruel y dura; a nadie le gustaría ser criticado por ella. También es atrevida, muy melancólica y experimentada, llena de dudas, confianza y humor. Es expresiva, encantadora y sensual; esconde muy pocas cosas, algo que no ocurre, por ejemplo, con la voz de George Harrison. Es agresiva y combativa, pero su violencia es atractiva porque parece surgir de su apasionada participación en el mundo. Es la voz de alguien que está vivo tanto en la mente como en los sentimientos; procede de alguien que ha comprendido sus experiencias y conoce su valor."
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews