Zadie Smith is a critically acclaimed author known for her stories filled with great dialogue, wit and a love for London. Her work is known for highlighting race relations, class issues and family dynamics. In celebration of her 50th birthday on October 25, here are a few of her iconic works.
If you want to experience her body of work for the first time, White Teeth, her debut novel, introduces readers to her writing style and themes: London, showcasing multiple perspectives and that playful yet serious style. This story is about two friends who met in World War II, exploring how their families, their multicultural perspectives & the cultural shifts of London change over the course of 50 years.
Intimations is a good example of her sharp and nuanced essays. This collection of essays was written during the Covid-19 pandemic. She questions who we are as humans without a sense of community and how compassion shows itself in uncertainty and chaos. This collection of essays sheds light on our inner thoughts in the midst of suffering.
In her buzzworthy upcoming book, Dead And Alive: Essays, Zadie reflects on changes in government from across the pond as well as pop culture moments. Zadie once again shows us her ability to think critically and humanly through the most urgent preoccupations of our times.
Based loosely on E.M. Forster's Howard's End, On Beauty centers around the lives of a mixed-race British/American family living in the United States. The Belsey family consists of British university professor Howard, his African American wife and their children. The family is described as liberal and atheist. Howard's professional nemesis is Monty Kipps, an uber-conservative Trinidadian, living in Britain with his wife and kids. The two families find themselves in a battle of ethnic and cultural differences, conservative vs. liberal values.
What's your favorite Zadie Smith story? Let's talk about it in the comments below!
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