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'

W H Smith reboots distribution operation

W H Smith (WHS) is increasing its focus on book distribution to its stores in a bid to make cost savings. The company’s book buyers have been working within its new “books operating model”, which involves more focused targeting of big titles to key stores, which will be a priority going... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic signs screenwriter Johnny Smith

Scholastic Children’s Books has signed a four-book deal with Johnny Smith, a screenwriter on CBBC TV shows such as "Dennis & Gnasher" and "Muddle Earth". The series, John Smith is NOT Boring, is about John Smith who has a boring name but his adventures take him from the Wild West to pirate... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Smith, Billy Ireland Library Plan New Ohio Comics Show

The new show, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, will launch with a two-day show in Columbus, Ohio in 2015 and transition to an annual four-day comics festival in Fall 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ali Smith to guest direct Brighton Festival

Ali Smith will be the Guest Director for the Brighton Festival 2015. The annual multi-arts festival, which celebrates music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film and literature, will take place from 2nd to 24th May 2015. Smith is the seventh guest director, taking on the mantle from the 2014 guest... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ali smith

Ali Smith wins £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize

Novelist Ali Smith has won the Goldsmiths Prize, awarded for "boldly original" fiction. Smith won the £10,000 award, now in its second year, for How to be Both (Hamish Hamilton), the two-part novel which lost out to Richard Flanagan on the shortlist for this year's Man Booker. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #goldsmiths prize #boldly original #hamish hamilton #richard flanagan #man booker

Land Rover commissions novelist William Boyd’s latest

In a rare move for the publishing world, Land Rover has sponsored "An Ice Cream War" novelist William Boyd's new short fiction and turned it in into a gorgeous interactive campaign. The post Land Rover commissions novelist William Boyd’s latest appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rare move #publishing world #land rover #short fiction

Ali Smith wins Goldsmiths Prize

Novelist Ali Smith has won the Goldsmiths Prize, awarded for "boldly original" fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #goldsmiths prize #boldly original

Self-publishing 'has revealed readers' true interests'

Self-publishing has made it clear that “readers want very different things to what publishers in London and Manhattan think readers want”, Orna Ross of the Alliance of Independent Authors has said. Speaking at an event debating the best route to publishing for authors, Ross said... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut Novelist Wins Canada’s Biggest Lit Prize

When the winner of the C$100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize was announced at a gala in Toronto last night, the spotlight was on a new writer, Sean Michaels, and his debut novel 'Us Conductors,' published by Random House Canada. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sean michaels

A&U signs forgery tale from Dominic Smith

Allen & Unwin has signed rights to a novel from Australian author Dominic Smith. The publisher acquired UK, Commonwealth and Australia/New Zealand rights to At the Edge of A Wood, in a deal with Devon Mazzone as Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Gaby Naher at the Naher Agency. The book is set... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smith, McBride, Filer and Moran on National Book Awards shortlists

Man Booker-shortlisted Ali Smith, Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Eimear McBride, and Costa Book of the Year winner Nathan Filer are among the authors vying at the Specsavers National Book Awards this year. Presented in association with high street campaign Books Are My Bag, the awards... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #caitlin moran #baileys women #costa book #authors vying #david walliams #john cleese

France’s Hachette Expands Interests in Russia

France's Hachette Livre has extended its stake in Azbuka Atticus, Russia's ninth largest publishing conglomerate. The post France’s Hachette Expands Interests in Russia appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amy Poehler's memoir 'Yes Please': What do critics say about the book?

Some reviewers praised the book's humor, while others found it to be unstructured. Poehler's book was released on Oct. 28. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amy poehler

A “Critical Moment” for Ebook Subscription Services

We need innovation, and Kindle Unlimited might not be publishers’ best option, argues 24symbols co-founder, Justo Hidalgo. The post A “Critical Moment” for Ebook Subscription Services appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Film and TV deal for Smith's Desert God

Anna Lena Films has acquired the film and TV rights for Wilbur Smith’s novel Desert God, published by HarperCollins. The rights were bought from Kevin Conroy Scott at Tibor Jones Management. The deal also includes film and TV rights to River God and The Seventh Scroll, also from the Epic... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tv deal #wilbur smith #tv rights

HC signs celebrity biographies from Smith

HarperCollins has acquired two celebrity biographies by Sean Smith, in a deal with Gordon Wise of Curtis Brown. Smith has previously written unauthorised biographies of celebrities such as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Robbie Williams, both published by Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sean smith #celebrity biographies #gordon wise #curtis brown #simon schuster #hit shelves #in-depth account

Book sales 'challenging' at W H Smith

WH Smith has reported a 9% rise in pre-tax profits for the year but said books sales continue to be “challenging”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Genre Shows Go Mainstream, TV Execs Are Looking to Novelists for the Next Hit

TV network options on books have exploded. Publishers Lunch, a trade that tracks book industry deals, lists an ever-increasing number of television options over the last few years, with 2013 setting the record and this year looking good. And with massive success stories like Game of Thrones... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Amis's novel 'A Zone of Interest' gets rave reviews, but is dropped by French and German publishers

Amis's French and German publishers passed on his novel about the Holocaust, but another French company will be releasing the book and Amis's agent said there will most likely be a new German publisher that is willing to publish it. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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