{"id":459,"date":"2014-06-12T16:55:05","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T16:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/postcolonialstudies\/?p=459"},"modified":"2017-06-03T17:41:43","modified_gmt":"2017-06-03T17:41:43","slug":"smith-zadie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/postcolonialstudies\/2014\/06\/12\/smith-zadie\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith, Zadie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biography<\/h3>\n
\"Image<\/a>
Image by David Shankbone\/CC Licensed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zadie Smith grew up in\u00a0Willesden Green, England. She was born into a mixed race family; her mother is from Jamaica, and her father is English. She has two brothers, both younger than she, and two older half-siblings. Smith began writing poems and short stories when she was six. In addition to writing, she loved music and she tap-danced for ten years. One of her favorite pastimes as a kid was watching musical movies. Her aspirations to become the next Ginger Rogers were set aside by her growing interest in writing. Perhaps it was her desire to resist conformity that prompted Smith, at age 14, to change her name from Sadie to Zadie.<\/p>\n

In high school, Smith was not an exceptionally ambitious student.\u00a0She spent the majority of her free time reading and hanging out with friends.\u00a0She smoked marijuana and characterizes herself at that time as being \u201ca bit of a stoner\u201d (Lyall). In fact, when Smith told one of her high school teachers that she was going to apply to Cambridge, her teacher dismissed the idea as ridiculous (Lyall). But Smith did make it to Cambridge, to the surprise of her colleagues, and found her niche amongst the academics.\u00a0In college, Smith spent the majority of her time reading up on the techniques and aesthetics of her favorite writers. Her curiosity proved useful as she researched historical accounts in order to write\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>.\u00a0In one interview, Smith was asked how she so effectively captured the perspective of a Jehovah\u2019s Witness, or the thoughts of a middle-aged man. Smith responded, \u201cBooks, books, books. As far as I\u2019m concerned, if you want to find out about the last day of World War II or the roots of the Indian Mutiny<\/a>, get thee to a books catalogue\u201d (Lyall).<\/p>\n

Although Smith knew she wanted to pursue writing as a career after college, she never took a creative writing class. Her major, English Literature, provided all the inspiration and learning she felt she needed to pursue her goals as a journalist. In fact, when Smith was preparing to graduate from Cambridge, she sought numerous jobs in the field of journalism.\u00a0Astonishingly, she was not offered a single interview (Lyall). Nonetheless, Smith was able to succeed as a writer, publishing\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>, her first novel in 2000, immediately after graduation.<\/p>\n

White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0and Success<\/h3>\n

After the publication of\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>, Zadie Smith was awarded the Whitbread and Guardian prizes for a first novel.\u00a0She also attracted the attention of\u00a0Salman Rushdie<\/a>\u00a0(Satanic Verses<\/em>,\u00a0The Moor\u2019s Last Sigh<\/em>) who lauded Smith\u2019s work as \u201can astonishingly assured debut\u201d (White Teeth<\/em>).\u00a0 Smith has been compared with Rushdie, but she finds this comparison flawed (Hattenstone).\u00a0Rushdie and Smith both address issues of race, history, and gender, but Smith\u2019s writing style is clearly different from that of Rushdie\u2019s.<\/p>\n

In the media frenzy that followed\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>, Smith struggled with her new-found fame. Because of the social and political import of her novel, Smith was encouraged to become a spokeswoman for sociopolitical issues by the media and literary critics. Smith laments, \u201cI was expected to be some expert on multicultural affairs, as if multiculturalism is a genre of fiction or something, whereas it\u2019s just a fact of life \u2014 like there are people of different races on the planet\u201d (Hattenstone).\u00a0The media\u2019s reaction to\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0was almost overwhelming for Smith.\u00a0 Although she enjoys the attention, Smith feels that to a certain degree, her reputation of being a great new novelist is unearned.\u00a0Smith is her own harshest critic.\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>, despite its critical acclaim, has left Smith wondering what all the fuss is about. She states, \u201cI have great ambitions of writing a very great book, I just don\u2019t think this is it\u201d (Lyall).<\/p>\n

Reviews of\u00a0White Teeth<\/em><\/h4>\n

\u201cEpic in scale and intimate in approach,\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0is a formidably ambitious debut. First novelist Zadie Smith takes on race, sex, class, history, and the minefield of gender politics, and such is her wit and inventiveness that these weighty subjects seem effortlessly light.\u201d<\/p>\n

from\u00a0The Observer<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing farcical about the pain of wanting to belong.\u00a0In this respect,\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0is full of false smiles and contrived faces, masks that are repeatedly donned in order to better hide the pain.\u00a0The \u2018mongrel<\/a>\u2019 nation that is Britain is still struggling to find a way to stare into the mirror and accept the ebb and flow of history that has produced this fortuitously diverse condition and its concomitant pain\u2026 Zadie Smith\u2019s first novel is an audaciously assured contribution to this process of staring into the mirror . . . the plot is rich, at times dizzyingly so, but\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0squares up to the two questions which gnaw at the very roots of our modern condition:\u00a0 Who are we?\u00a0 Why are we here?\u201d<\/p>\n

from\u00a0The Guardian<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAn astonishingly assured debut, funny and serious, and the voice has real writerly idiosyncrasy.\u00a0 I was delighted by\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0and often impressed.\u00a0 It has\u2026bite.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Salman Rushdie<\/p>\n

Major Themes<\/h4>\n

identity and nationality
\nmiscegenation
\nracial discrimination
\ngender politics
\nhistory
\nreligion
\ntradition and assimilation<\/p>\n

White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0takes place in London, home of Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Jones (English) and Iqbal (Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi) form a strong friendship when they meet during World War II. Their friendship spans several decades, during which both marry and have children.\u00a0After a divorce from a tumultuous first marriage, Jones contemplates suicide, but his demise is narrowly averted. That same day, Archie Jones meets Clara. Seeking escape from the strict rules of her Jehovah\u2019s Witness mother, Clara marries Archie in a matter of weeks. Together they have a daughter. Meanwhile, Samad Iqbal struggles with his fate \u2014 a second-rate job as a waiter, and the Muslim faith with which he is constantly struggling.\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>\u00a0forces the reader to question his or her beliefs and opinions on racial discrimination, miscegenation, gender roles, and history. It is a lengthy but witty novel, that demands a thorough reading.<\/p>\n

Smith in Her Own Words<\/h3>\n

Zadie Smith is a media favorite not only because of her writing, but also because of her style and charisma. The compilation of quotes illustrate these aspects:<\/p>\n

\u201cI express myself with my friends and my family. . . . Novels are not about expressing yourself, they\u2019re about something beautiful, funny, clever and organic. Self-expression? Go and ring a bell in the yard if you want to express yourself.\u201d (Hattenstone).<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 21 when I wrote\u00a0White Teeth<\/em>, what difference does it make what I think?\u201d (Hattenstone).<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an ambition to write a great book, but that\u2019s really a competition with myself. I\u2019ve noticed a lot of young writers, people in all media, want to be famous but they don\u2019t really want to do anything. I can\u2019t think of anything less worth striving for than fame\u201d (Hattenstone).<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/h3>\n