Zadie Smith

to an English father and a Jamaican mother. She read English at Cambridge, graduating in 1997. In her midteens, she changed her name from Sadie, to Zadie.

first novel initially became notable for the publicity it received in 1997 when Smith accepted a six-figure advance for both this work, which was yet to be completed, and a future second novel. This advance is also remarkable because it was offered when she was only 21 years old and still studying English Literature at Cambridge. The publicity that arose from this commercial faith in her writing undoubtedly ensured the attention of literary critics once it was completed. However, the mainly positive reviews, several awards (including the Whitbread First Novel Award) and high sales of over a million copies, have demonstrated that the hype could be believed: there has been a general consensus that White Teeth is impressive in its fluidity and scope. Smith has since described White Teeth as a naïve product of her adolescence, but its success has meant that her novels have continued to be of great interest in international literary circles.

on people, and the way these cultural events ripple out from individuals into all of London life. The story starts with the Second World War and ends just before the turn of the millennium, spanning 50 years during which everything changes. In telling the story of the birth of modern London, the book weaves together the lives of Archie and Samad, an unlikely pair of friends whose friendship is founded on shared experiences in the closing days of the war. Through these men, their wives, and their children, Smith illustrates the struggles that have been involved in English society's evolution into what it is today. Zadie Smith tells the story of "the century of strangers, brown, yellow, and white. The century of the great immigrant experiment."

of despair.”  ― Zadie Smith, White Teeth
“Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.”  ― Zadie Smith, White Teeth
“...They cannot escape their history any more than you yourself can lose your shadow.”  ― Zadie Smith, White Teeth
“You must live life with the full knowledge that your actions will remain. We are creatures of consequence.”  ― Zadie Smith, White Teeth

White Teeth Quotes