I want to write without shame or pride or over-compensation in one direction or another. To write freely. Zadie Smith compensationdirectionfreely Change image and share on social
I read Carver. Julio Cortazar. Amis's essays. Baldwin. Lorrie Moore. Capote. Saramago. Larkin. Wodehouse. Anything, anything at all, that doesn't sound like me. Zadie Smith amisbaldwincapote Change image and share on social
You know, you don't expect everyone to be as educated as everyone else or have the same achievements, but you expect at least to be offered at least some of the opportunities, and libraries are the most simple and the most open way to give people access to books. Zadie Smith accessachievementbook share on social
I'm most honest about writing when I'm talking to family or friends, not to newspapers. Zadie Smith familyfriendhonest Change image and share on social
Like all readers, I want my limits to be drawn by my own sensibilities, not by my melanin count. Zadie Smith countdrawlimit Change image and share on social
Don't confuse honours with achievement. Zadie Smith achievementconfusehonour Change image and share on social
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
All my books are made up of other books. They're all deeply structured on other fiction, because I was a student in fiction and I didn't have much actual living to draw on. I suspect a lot of other people's novels are like that, too, though they might be slower to talk about it. Zadie Smith actualbookdeeply share on social
I wouldn't write about people who are living and who are close to me, because I think it's a very violent thing to do to another person. And anytime I have done it, even in the disguise of fiction, the results have been horrific. Zadie Smith anytimeclosedisguise 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
