Hafid Bouazza is a highly in uential and celebrated author in the Netherlands today. In the
context of contemporary Dutch literature Bouazza's 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 unified
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 Bouazza's literary prose that responds to the
interpretative opportunities offered by an author who skilfully and creatively explores his
peculiar freedom in his Homeless Entertainment.
