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Zadie Smith on 'being on the side of life' at 50

Feb 6, 2026

Guest

Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith, British novelist and essayist known for White Teeth, reflects at 50 on midlife and cultural change. She discusses growing up in Kilburn, the loss and richness of neighbourhood life, the influence of books and Cambridge, tap dance and aesthetics, parenting as creativity, and a long critique of smartphones, social media and public discourse.

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INSIGHT

Narrow Canon At Cambridge

Zadie notes Cambridge's reading lists then excluded black and non-European authors, reflecting a narrow literary canon.
She accepted other self-education routes and didn't expect the university to supply cultural breadth.

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ANECDOTE

White Teeth Began With A Personal Request

Zadie began White Teeth after an editor asked if she was working on anything longer following a college publication.
She admits she lacked the persistence to send many submissions and was easily discouraged.

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ADVICE

Stay At Your Desk And Ignore The Noise

Zadie advises young successful writers to stay at their desk, do the work and ignore the noise around fame.
She warns the pre-internet experience is different and today's instant exposure complicates that rule.

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Kilburn's diversity as a novelist's landscape

01:18 • 60sec

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Changes on Kilburn High Road

02:18 • 3min

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Family origins and parental backgrounds

05:02 • 4min

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Early reading and literary influences

09:00 • 2min

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Celia Paul, feminism and creative girlhood

10:48 • 2min

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Television, representation and identity

12:22 • 2min

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Tap dance, film musicals and aesthetic passion

14:27 • 4min

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Teenage risks and the upstairs window fall

18:57 • 2min

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Open possibilities and applying to Cambridge

21:12 • 4min

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Cambridge experience and narrow curricula

24:50 • 3min

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How White Teeth began

28:08 • 3min

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Handling sudden fame and advice to young writers

30:55 • 1min

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Rejecting the 'art monster' myth

32:12 • 1min

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Motherhood as creative enrichment

33:35 • 2min

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Life without smartphones and internet critique

35:58 • 3min

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Defending books and public discourse's importance

39:27 • 3min

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Reading Edward P. Jones and human empathy

42:47 • 2min

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Turning 50: awe and being 'on the side of life'

45:02 • 2min

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Hospitality in writing and openness to readers

• Mentioned in 11 episodes

White Teeth

Zadie Smith

Jenny Sterlin

Ana María de la Fuente Suárez

White Teeth is Zadie Smith's debut novel, published in 2000. The book focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones—and their families in London. It spans over 50 years, detailing the trials and tribulations of their families and exploring Britain's relationship with immigrants from the British Commonwealth. The novel addresses themes of identity, race, and the complexities of multiculturalism, and it is known for its vivid characters, humor, and strong narrative structure.

#7004

• Mentioned in 7 episodes

Dead and Alive

Zadie Smith

In 'Dead and Alive: Essays', Zadie Smith brings her distinctive voice and critical insight to a wide range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years. The collection is organized into thematic sections—eyeballing, considering, reconsidering, mourning, and confessing—and features intimate reflections on artists like Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker, and Celia Paul, as well as cultural phenomena such as the film 'Tár' and the rise of Stormzy at Glastonbury. Smith also mourns the passing of literary giants like Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth, and Toni Morrison, and considers political shifts on both sides of the Atlantic. Throughout, she demonstrates her unparalleled ability to engage critically and humanely with the most pressing issues of our time, blending personal experience with broader social commentary.

#14035

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The Known World

Antonio Fernandez Lera

Edward P Jones

The Known World is a novel by Edward P. Jones that delves into the intricate lives of freed and enslaved blacks, whites, and Indians in Manchester County, Virginia, during the antebellum period. The story centers around Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who becomes a plantation owner under the mentorship of William Robbins. After Henry's death, his plantation and the broader community face significant upheaval, including slave rebellions and the exploitation of free black people by corrupt patrollers. The novel provides a deep and nuanced exploration of the multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery.

• Mentioned in 1,760 episodes

1984

George Orwell

Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.

#19675

• Mentioned in 3 episodes

Swing Time

Zadie Smith

Pippa Bennett-warner

Eugenia Vázquez Nacarino

Swing Time follows the story of two girls who become friends at a dance class in their childhood, primarily because they are the only two brown girls there. The narrative focuses on their lives as they grow older, with one continuing to dance professionally and the other becoming the personal assistant of a pop star. The book explores themes of race, socioeconomic status, education, and personal identity, set against the backdrop of London, New York, and West Africa. Zadie Smith's writing is characterized by its beautiful syntax and deep, relatable themes, although some critics noted the narrative's non-linear and sometimes disconnected structure.

#1472

• Mentioned in 28 episodes

The Color Purple

Translator Lunine Pierre-Jerome

Alice Walker

The novel is written in the form of letters, primarily from Celie to God and later to her sister Nettie. It depicts Celie's journey from a life of oppression and abuse to one of independence and self-realization. The story explores themes of feminism, gender equality, sexuality, and the struggles faced by African American women in the rural South during the 1930s and 1940s. Celie's life is influenced by various characters, including her lover Shug Avery, her sister Nettie, and her husband Albert, as she discovers her own strength and finds joy despite the hardships she faces.

UK writer Zadie Smith became a world-wide sensation with the publication of her first novel White Teeth when she was 24. Now aged 50, she's bringing her trademark intelligence and wit to the subject of midlife.

Her latest work is Dead and Alive, a new book of essays, where she writes about black British history, paintings, politics, our online lives and getting older.

She also talks about up growing in North West London and where she's returned to live with her own family.

Zadie will be in Australia next month as part of the All About Women festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 8th and at The Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on March 10th.

Further Information

All About Women at Sydney Opera House Zadie Smith at The Wheeler Centre

This episode explores growing up in North West London, immigrants, black British history, the internet, smart phones, social media, the technology of the book, mid life, being 50, free university, Cambridge, diversity, academia, tap dancing, painting, politics, being a writer, non-fiction, young novelists, find success at young age.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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