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'


At Sharjah, a Trump-Wary ALA Promotes ‘Libraries Transform’

The American Library Association holds its third Sharjah conference for library professionals in the Arab world, cautiously worried at the US election news while pressing a transformative agenda. The post At Sharjah, a Trump-Wary ALA Promotes ‘Libraries Transform’ appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library professionals #arab world


US book trade rallies around the power of books following Trump's win

Members of the US book trade have urged the industry to remember the powerful role books play in promoting unity and understanding in the wake of the US election result which saw Republican candidate Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton to take the White House as US president elect. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book trade #white house #president elect


'Dismayed' trade reacts to Donald Trump's election

The book trade has reacted with “dismay”, “horror” and “frustration” to this morning’s shock news that Republican candidate Donald Trump has beaten Democrat Hillary Clinton to take the White House as US president elect. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trade reacts #book trade #white house #president elect


PEN America Responds to Trump Victory

The free speech organization issued a statement addressing the impending presidency of a man who has threatened to open up libel laws and showed deep disdain for the press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #libel laws


Donald Trump: PW's Coverage Over the Years

Like it or not, Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential Election. Over the years, and especially throughout the election, PW has done lots of coverage of Trump's books, books about Trump, and the reactions from book biz insiders to his candidacy and election. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman leads authors' anguish over Trump election

Authors have spoken of their devastation at the news that right-wing Republican candidate Donald Trump has been voted in as US president elect, with one saying it feels like the world is heading for a “dark, dystopian future”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #president elect #dystopian future


A Spiritually Harmful Election: Evangelical Authors Sound Off on Trump and Clinton

Evangelical Christian authors discuss what it's like to be faced with choosing one of two major party candidates whose values in one way or another deeply contradict their own. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Juno Dawson and Alex T Smith team up for YA story

Author Juno Dawson and illustrator Alex T Smith have teamed up to create a YA novel, which will be published by Barrington Stoke in October next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #juno dawson #barrington stoke


BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti talks Facebook Live and Ivanka Trump

Whether it’s through building a food-porn empire or extending its breaking-news content internationally, BuzzFeed has ambitious global expansion plans. This week, founder Jonah Peretti was promoting the company in Japan, which he claims is BuzzFeed’s fastest growing international market. Digiday... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ivanka trump #digital content #cable network


US novelist Paul Beatty wins Man Booker Prize 2016

Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout, is the first American winner of the Man Booker Prize in its 48-year history, giving Oneworld its second consecutive win of the award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paul beatty


McCrum takes on Man Booker critics

The Observer's Robert McCrum has described the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize as "among the best, and most confident, of recent years", calling the selected authors "a distinctive slate of new writers, all of them deserving of the attention bestowed on their work by Booker". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #robert mccrum #selected authors


Donald Trump says he'd block any mergers between AT&T; and Time Warner

Campaign 2016 updates: Donald Trump says Donald Trump says women accusing him 'will be sued after the election is over' Oct. 22, 2016, 11:42 a.m. Donald Trump hits the campaign trail in Gettysburg, Pa., while Hillary Clinton is in Philadelphia. Trump says of women accusers will be sued after the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time warner #hillary clinton


Donald Trump says he would block an AT&T-Time Warner merger if elected; deal could come Saturday

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration would seek to block a massive media merger between AT&T and Time Warner Inc. if he is elected president. The deal, which appears to be imminent, would turn telephone giant AT&T, a company already valued at... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #elected president #time warner


Donald Trump's video apology goes out over Facebook, Twitter

Hours after the Washington Post published a video of Donald Trump in 2005 stating, among other things, that "And when you're a star, they let you do it...You can do anything. Grab them by the p---y," the candidate issued a video response that went ou... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The reviewer who tried to trump all Hitler comparisons | Emma Brockes

Mendacious, half-insane, an egomaniac, a demagogue – that’s what they said about the Nazi leader in the 1930s, before his election. Remind you of anyone?Book reviews tend to make news only if they are particularly savage or concern a hotly anticipated book. So Hitler, by Volker Ullrich – the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #michiko kakutani


Roughly Speaking podcast: David Zurawik on the Clinton-Trump split-screen; three good books (episode 156)

In this podcast: 2:31: Today on the show, Dan catches up with the Sun's media critic David Zurawik to talk about last Monday's televised debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. With Clinton widely seen as the winner of that debate -- well prepared, with attacks on Trump's record that... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hillary clinton


Josh Topolsky on his new startup: ‘There’s a new generation that is not that interested in Facebook’

Chasing scale has overwhelmingly driven digital publishing, but veteran tech journalist Josh Topolsky believes there's a sustainable digital model for thoughtful journalism that doesn’t require joining the race for scale or doing Facebook’s bidding. For his forthcoming site The Outline, he wants... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chasing scale #josh topolsky


Macmillan buys two Jennifer E Smith YA novels

Macmillan Children’s Books has bought the UK and Commonwealth rights to two novels by US YA writer Jennifer E Smith. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #macmillan buys #macmillan children


WBD defends 2017 selection after lack of diversity criticism

World Book Day has reiterated its commitment to promoting a “diverse range of authors” after criticisms about the lack of writers of colour in its 2017 selection. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #diverse range


Critics note 'determinedly unstarry' Man Booker candidates

Critics have branded 2016's Man Booker shortlist "determinedly unstarry", as one of the few household names on the longlist, JM Coetzee, was ejected from the running, with all eyes on Graeme Macrae Burnet from "tiny" publisher Contraband. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #critics note #jm coetzee