Tuesday, March 16, 2010

On Zadie Smith

I've stated in the past that I am an Anglophile. I am a sucker for Forster's England (and its depictions on film), and I have fallen for Rowling's magical Britain. I love the British comedies, and think that BBC America is just a whole lot of goodness. But I am also totally fascinated by artistic Brits of African descent, from Sade (of course), to Thandie Newton, to Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (hold me back), to Estelle, and others. Though I cannot really explain it, they remind me of artistic black Americans from the early 20th century (intriguing, interesting, and engaging).

But it was Zadie Smith who brought together that fascination with artistic Brits of African descent and my love of Forster. And Smith's novel On Beauty, her homage to Forster's Howard's End, was simply a joy to read. I am looking forward to reading her latest book of essays, Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays, particularly after reading this great review by Adam Kirsch in "The New Republic." If you haven't had a chance, check out Smith's novel White Teeth. It's quite funny in so many ways. I also enjoyed Smith's essay "Speaking in Tongues" in "The New York Review of Books."

It's been fun familiarizing myself with Smith's work, and it will be cool to see how her work changes, and how it remains the same. Check her out!!

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