Häd Bouazza is a highly in¿uential and celebrated author in the Netherlands today. In the context of contemporary Dutch literature, Bouazzäs Moroccan background still marks a divergence from the born-and-bred Dutch norm. Authors with a bi- or multicultural background are still often cast in the role of ¿exotic outsider¿. Bouazza both challenges and uses this position to the full. His writing demonstrates that the perceived us-them or self-other positions are questionable ideological constructs. He undermines the concept of a uni¿ed culture and the wholeness of the self. He explores and exploits stereotypical beliefs held on both sides of the East¿West divide. The result is a magical realist setting that both puzzles and enchants. This book offers a reading of Bouazzäs literary prose that responds to the interpretative opportunities offered by an author who skilfully and creatively explores his peculiar freedom in his Homeless Entertainment.

The Author: Henriëtte Louwerse grew up in the Netherlands where she studied English Literature at the University of Groningen. She is a lecturer in Dutch in the Department of Germanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.

Contents: Response to the emergence and rise of multicultural authors in the Netherlands ¿ Analyses of the specific position of `outsider¿ authors focussing on concepts of (cultural) identity, home and homelessness ¿ Analyses of Bouazzäs main literary works.