One of the great privileges of having grown up in a middle-class literary English household, but having gone to school in the front lines in Southeast London, was that I became half-street-urchin and half-good-boy at home. I knew that dichotomy was possible.

Summary

This quote by author and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi reflects on the duality of his upbringing. Growing up in a middle-class English household while attending school in a rough neighborhood allowed him to experience and understand the contrasting lifestyles. This unique perspective shaped his identity, as he found himself embodying both the rebelliousness and adventurousness of a street-urchin, while maintaining the virtues of a well-behaved individual at home. Kureishi highlights how this dichotomy enabled him to recognize and embrace the coexistence of different worlds and characters within himself.

Topics