Charlie Hero

Punk rocker from the 1990 novel The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. It was turned into a 1993 BBC miniseries, with Steven Mackintosh playing Hero (real name Charlie Kay). He's the stepbrother of protagonist Karim Amir.

Hero is based on real punk rock clique "the Bromley contingent," especially Billy Idol.

Hero also turns up in Kureishi's second novel, The Black Album (1995).

External Links

• Kureishi on his influences