Zadie Smith Books
White Teeth – 2000
Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, old wartime friends, build contrasting families in multicultural London. Archie's impulsive marriage to young Clara and Samad's battles with tradition, twin sons, and identity fuel a lively, multi-generational story of race, religion, immigration, friendship, and the search for belonging in modern Britain.
The Autograph Man – 2002
Jewish-Chinese autograph trader Alex-Li Tandem grieves his father's death while pursuing the signature of reclusive 1940s star Kitty Alexander. His obsessive chase through celebrity culture exposes deeper truths about loss, fame, performance, cultural identity, authenticity, and the hollow allure of idolizing the famous.
On Beauty – 2005
Inspired by Howards End, liberal professor Howard Belsey, his wife Kiki, and their children clash with conservative academic Monty Kipps and family in a Boston college town. The novel probes race, class, beauty, infidelity, academic rivalry, family tensions, and deep cultural divides across the Atlantic.
NW – 2012
Four friends from a northwest London council estate—Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan—follow diverging paths. Through fragmented, innovative narratives, the novel examines class mobility, race, identity, ambition, friendship, motherhood, and the persistent pull of origins in a sharply observed portrait of contemporary urban life.
Swing Time – 2016
An unnamed mixed-race narrator recalls her intense childhood friendship with talented dancer Tracey. As one drifts into assisting a global pop star and the other pursues dance, their nonlinear tale explores race, class, female ambition, cultural appropriation, motherhood, and the enduring weight of early connections.
The Wife of Willesden – 2021
A spirited verse adaptation of Chaucer's Wife of Bath, reimagining her as Alvita, a bold Jamaican-British woman in her fifties. In a lively London pub, she recounts her five marriages, sexual adventures, and outspoken views on love, power, gender roles, and unapologetic female independence.
The Fraud – 2023
Centered on the notorious 1870s Tichborne claimant trial, the novel follows Eliza Touchet, cousin to fading novelist William Ainsworth, and Andrew Bogle, a former enslaved Jamaican. It weaves identity fraud, slavery's legacy, class, gender, authorship, truth, and literary ambition in Victorian England.
Short Stories/Novellas
The Embassy of Cambodia – 2013
Fatou, an immigrant from the Ivory Coast, works as a live-in domestic servant for a Pakistani family in suburban Willesden, London. Sneaking to the local pool and passing the incongruous Cambodian Embassy, she reflects on her past hardships, questions her near-slavery, discusses suffering and faith with friend Andrew, and navigates dehumanization, agency, and daily survival in a detached, observational narrative framed by an unseen badminton game.
Short Story Collections
Martha and Hanwell – 2003
This slim volume pairs two poignant stories: "Martha, Martha" follows a troubled American woman in London seeking solace amid emotional turmoil, while "Hanwell in Hell" (or related Hanwell tale) presents a chance encounter where a man recounts meeting lonely, grieving Hanwell, whose lost wife Martha haunts his quiet despair, exploring themes of isolation, loss, regret, and fleeting human connection.
Grand Union – 2019
Zadie Smith's first collection gathers nineteen stories, blending eleven new works with previously published pieces. Spanning autofiction, surrealism, and sharp social observation, they probe motherhood, aging, race, class, relationships, gender, cultural divides, first loves, despair, and personal agency in a fragmented modern world, from vacation mishaps and drag queens to dead mothers and philosophical riffs.
Picture Books (with Nick Laird)
Weirdo – 2021
Maud, a guinea pig who proudly wears a judo suit, arrives as a surprise pet for young Kit. Facing confusion and judgment from other animals for being different, Maud navigates a new home with bravery, serendipity, and self-acceptance, learning the quiet strength of embracing individuality in this warm, illustrated tale for children.
The Surprise – 2022
In this endearing picture book, Maud the guinea pig—distinctive in her judo suit—becomes an unexpected birthday gift for Kit. Amid a confusing new environment and occasional disapproval from others, Maud's bold choices and chance meetings help her find belonging, celebrating the power of being uniquely oneself with charm and gentle humor.
In the Wild – 2025
Maud, the judo-suit-wearing guinea pig, and her owner Kit embark on a camping adventure into the great outdoors. Both feeling nervous about new experiences, they conquer fears together, discovering joy in nature, resilience, and the thrill of exploration in this quirky, reassuring picture book about embracing the unknown.
Non-Fiction Books
Changing My Mind – 2009
A collection of essays and reviews spanning literature, film, travel, and culture. Zadie Smith reflects on writers like Kafka, Zora Neale Hurston, and David Foster Wallace, explores cinema, critiques pop culture, and shares personal insights on reading, writing, and the shifting nature of her own opinions, blending sharp intellect with warmth and wit.
Stop What You're Doing and Read This! – 2011
Zadie Smith joins other writers in this lively anthology celebrating the joy and necessity of reading. She contributes an essay on the pleasures of books and the act of reading itself, while editing and curating pieces that advocate for literature’s enduring power to enrich, challenge, and transform everyday life.
Feel Free – 2018
A vibrant collection of essays, reviews, and occasional pieces on art, politics, race, and culture. Smith writes about figures like Justin Bieber, Philip Roth, and Joni Mitchell, reflects on Brexit, social media, and freedom of expression, and explores personal growth, identity, and the intersections of private and public life with insight and humor.
Intimations – 2020
Written during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, this slim volume gathers six short, urgent essays. Smith examines grief, inequality, privilege, racial injustice, and the strange intimacy of lockdown, offering thoughtful reflections on how crisis exposes societal fault lines and reshapes personal and collective understanding in a time of global uncertainty.
Dead and Alive – 2025
A new collection of essays blending memoir, criticism, and cultural commentary. Smith explores themes of mortality, legacy, art, and contemporary life, with pieces on literature, film, music, politics, and personal experience, reflecting on how we live with the dead, navigate change, and find meaning in an ever-shifting world.