Zadie Smith on Male Critics, Appropriation, and What Interests Her Novelistically About Trump

In an interview in 2000, Zadie Smith told the Guardian about the pressure she felt after the astonishing success of her debut novel, White Teeth. “I was expected to be some expert on multicultural affairs, as if multiculturalism is a genre of fiction or something,” she said. “Whereas it’s just a fact of life—like there are people of different races on the planet.” Whether it’s indeed a fact of life or, we now fear, a feature of American life that is at risk of erasure, multiculturalism in all its complexity is at the center of Smith’s books. From White Teeth to NW, which was published in 2012, Smith’s characters inhabit mixed urban communities, often in London. Her latest novel, Swing Time, is out this week; set in England and West Africa, the story concerns the friendship of two young girls who meet in a dance class (“our shade of brown was exactly the same”) and traces the paths of their lives over a quarter-century. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #american life #white teeth #swing time #west africa #young girls

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Zadie Smith on Male Critics, Appropriation, and What Interests Her Novelistically About Trump'


Zadie Smith, Ann Patchett Among 2016 NBCC Finalists

Thirty finalists, including the author of 'Swing Time,' Zadie Smith, 'LaRose' author Louise Erdrich, and 'Commonwealth' author Ann Patchett, are up for NBCC Awards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV adaptation for Zadie Smith's Swing Time

Zadie Smith's just-published novel Swing Time (Hamish Hamilton) has secured a TV deal with Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Could there really be only one new black male novelist in Britain? | Arifa Akbar

There’s plenty of talent among minority ethnic writers in the UK, but their books rarely make it to the shelves – and that’s shamefulUntil this week, I thought that at least we could be consoled by fiction. That we still had the borderless joys of stories to fend off the dark forces of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Brimming Heart of Zadie Smith

A paradox lurks in the heart of the novelist’s vocation. Human beings are what most novels are about, the stuff that fiction is made of. Yet writing books is a solitary activity, one that tends to attract introverts and loners. The work might be brilliant, but it will have a shard of ice in its... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2016-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Critic's Notebook: In Books on Donald Trump, Consistent Portraits of a High-Decibel Narcissist

Six of the recent books about the Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Male writers continue to dominate literary criticism, Vida study finds

Women buy two-thirds of books sold but magazine reviews are centred on male authors and critics – though picture is beginning to changeThe continuing bias towards men in the British and American literary establishment has been confirmed by a study released on Tuesday.Vida, a US organisation... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Black British writers: we're more than just Zadie Smith and Monica Ali | Irenosen Okojie

Our publishing industry seems to champion just one or two black and Asian authors at a time. Lack of diversity is a real problemMonths back I was trudging through the streets of Dalston when I spotted a copy of Simi Bedford's Yoruba Girl Dancing in a charity shop window. It evoked the same... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library event for Zadie Smith

Novelist Zadie Smith will help promote reading groups and libraries with a reading at Swiss... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Zadie Smith story for Hamish Hamilton

Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton will publish a new short story by Zadie Smith later this year.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zadie Smith "owes life" to libraries

Author Zadie Smith has spoken out about the importance of libraries, saying she owes her "... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Autumn highlights: Zadie Smith

One of the most eagerly awaited literary offerings this autumn is NW (Hamish Hamilton, September... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump watches TV. Trump stars on TV. Trump is TV.

Review of 'Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America' by James Poniewozik Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-12 17:00:17 UTC ]
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Trump watches TV. Trump stars on TV. Trump is TV.

Review of 'Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America' by James Poniewozik Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-12 05:00:17 UTC ]
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Timely Poet’s Tour Trumps Trump with Trump

Oklahoma poet Nathan Brown is garnering attention during his book tour for a poem touching on the life of Presidential candidate Donald Trump. The post Timely Poet’s Tour Trumps Trump with Trump appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Punts 'Trump Tapes' Case to New York, Slams Trump for Forum Shopping

In an August 4 ruling, federal judge M. Casey Rodgers transferred Trump's $50 million copyright suit against Bob Woodward and publisher Simon & Schuster to the Southern District of New York, where Trump was hit with sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit earlier this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump Sues Bob Woodward, S&S Over 'Trump Tapes' Audiobook

The former president's $49.8 million lawsuit alleges that Woodward and Simon & Schuster breached his copyright interests by publishing an audiobook based on interviews recorded for Woodward’s 2021 book 'Rage.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Jada Pinkett Smith writing memoir about life, 'complicated marriage to Will Smith'

Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir will take readers on 'a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-06 19:59:48 UTC ]
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The rare Trump insider memoir that doesn’t obsess over Trump

Review of "There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century" by Fiona Hill Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-01 14:45:07 UTC ]
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The Magic of Plot and Catharsis: A Conversation with Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith

LET’S DISPENSE WITH the small surprises up front. The latest outing from Smith Henderson, acclaimed author of what others might call literary fiction — his award-winning 2014 debut, Fourth of July Creek — is indeed a thriller. And it’s not a solo endeavor — he’s teamed up with a friend, Jon Marc... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-11 12:30:47 UTC ]
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In TV Ratings, Trump vs. Biden Was No Match for Trump vs. Clinton

The rise of streaming and familiar characters may have cut into the record viewership of four years ago. Fox News led all networks in audience size, Nielsen said. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-09-30 23:08:15 UTC ]
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