THE BOOKS OF MY LIFE

Reading 1932, Pablo Picasso

Dear Readers,

Until now, I have been shielded from the costs of disability because of our wonderful and vital NHS. This will change when I get home due to the considerable costs of remodelling the house, and my need for round the clock care.

I ask, therefore, that if you enjoy The Kureishi Chronicles, believe in paying for good writing, and want to help with my recovery, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Below is an interview I did with The Guardian in 2022

My earliest reading memory
I can remember lying on my parents’ bed and reading a book all the way through for the first time. Whether it was Biggles, Bunter or something by Enid Blyton, I was hooked. I began going to the library every day, and have barely been able to go an hour since without passing my eyes over some sentence or another. Reading has become a habit, but it has never stopped being a pleasure.

My favourite book growing up
My father had an excellent library of political and philosophical works, which was where I received my education, insofar as I have any. But it was Tom Sawyer that captivated me from its first brilliant page. Twain’s energetic, haphazard story of an uncontrollable urchin and his various scrapes and adventures helped prompt my first novel, The Buddha of Suburbia.