Zadie Smith never thought she’d tell this story episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 2, 2025 · 48 MIN

Zadie Smith never thought she’d tell this story

from Bookends with Mattea Roach

It’s hard to believe that Zadie Smith was just 24 years old when she wrote White Teeth, the book that made her a literary star. 25 years later, Zadie is still finding new stories from her life to reflect on — and she shares many of those in her latest essay collection, Dead and Alive. The book combines art criticism with musings about technology, parenting and the writers who've inspired her. This week, Zadie joins Mattea Roach to talk about the collection, what it’s like to look back on 25 years of writing … and that time she fell out of a window.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s triumphant return to fiction  Alison Bechdel on making money and seeing Fun Home in a new light

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 2, 2025

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Zadie Smith never thought she’d tell this story

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