Весела Кацарова

The contemporary British novelist of Pakistani descent Hanif Kureishi (1954), a highly prolific writer, expresses his artistic credo through a character, a theatre producer, who claims that an artistic work can be successful if it discusses the topical issues of race, class and sex through farce. Kureishi"s seven novels deal with these problems in varying degrees. His best novel so far, The Buddha of Suburbia (1990), encompasses them all in a very impressive way. By focusing on the topical issue of race in present-day Britain Kureishi enriches contemporary British fiction.

The focus in this study is laid upon the problems of the individual in the catastrophic 20th century which are actually the recurrent issues in Swift’s novels. As the author says, his major theme is to depict “a small man at big history”. Next to the experiences mainly during WW ІІ the author is further interested in family relations and conflicts, usually characterized by acts of subordination or passive submission. Usually Swift’s typical protagonists are vulnerable human beings in a state of crisis who are pressed by the urgent need to relate their own stories. Therefore, the author usually employs a first-person narration. Next to the social and ethical dimensions in Swift’s fiction his impressive artistic achievements are further studied. The author usually employs first-person narrations as the protagonists are pressed by the urge to tell their personal drama.