I'm very attracted to exile literature - particularly Nabokov - exactly because the idea of being away from home for any serious length of time is so inconceivable to me. Zadie Smith attractexilehome Change image and share on social
Writing is my way of expressing - and thereby eliminating - all the various ways we can be wrong-headed. Zadie Smith eliminateexpresshead Change image and share on social
I never attended a creative writing class in my life. I have a horror of them; most writers groups moonlight as support groups for the kind of people who think that writing is therapeutic. Writing is the exact opposite of therapy. Zadie Smith attendclasscreative share on social
I love to dance, and sing - in the shower, not in public. I'm too old to go raving, but my fondest memories are of that kind of thing - dancing, with lots of people, outside if possible. Zadie Smith dancefondkind Change image and share on social
A lot of people seem to feel that joy is only the most intense version of pleasure, arrived at by the same road - you simply have to go a little further down the track. That has not been my experience. Zadie Smith arriveexperiencefeel share on social
The lack of alternatives to an illegal action does not legitimise that action. Zadie Smith actionalternativeillegal 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
Nowadays, I know the true reason I read is to feel less alone, to make a connection with a consciousness other than my own. Zadie Smith connectionconsciousnessfeel Change image and share on social
Oh yes, my generation liked to be in some pain when they read. The harder it was, the more good we believed it was doing us. Zadie Smith believegenerationgood Change image and share on social
If you love a young writer, maybe the best thing you can do is give them a little bit of space. Zadie Smith bitegivelove Change image and share on social