I wrote 'White Teeth' in the late nineties. I didn't really feel trepidatious about it. It was a different time. Zadie Smith feellateninety Change image and share on social
I like books that don't give you an easy ride. I like the feeling of discomfort. The sense of being implicated. Zadie Smith bookdiscomforteasy Change image and share on social
Cambridge was a joy. Tediously. People reading books in a posh place. It was my fantasy. I loved it. I miss it still. Zadie Smith bookcambridgefantasy Change image and share on social
Desperation, weakness, vulnerability - these things will always be exploited. You need to protect the weak, ring-fence them, with something far stronger than empathy. Zadie Smith desperationempathyexploit Change image and share on social
I'm never interested in writing a kind of neutral, universal novel that could be set anywhere. To me, the novel is a local thing. Zadie Smith interestkindlocal Change image and share on social
I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around. Zadie Smith bookcopyflat Change image and share on social
Novels are not about expressing yourself, they're about something beautiful, funny, clever and organic. Self-expression? Go and ring a bell in a yard if you want to express yourself. Zadie Smith beautifulbellclever Change image and share on social
It's a funny thing about rap, that when you say 'I' into the microphone, it's like a public confession. It's very strange. Zadie Smith confessionfunnymicrophone Change image and share on social
Nabokov, who I loved more than any other writer when I was young, had such contempt for dialogue. When I was younger, I never wrote a word of dialogue because of him. I thought it was a childish part of a novel. Zadie Smith childishcontemptdialogue share on social
You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality. Zadie Smith differenceequalitysameness Change image and share on social
