Dead and Alive

Smith gives a masterclass in the modern essay. In Dead and Alive, Zadie Smith once again confirms that she is among the most expert essayists of her generation … Even when she writs about death, disillusionment, or the absurdity of fame, “protect your consciousness,” she advises, and this book feels like an act of protection in itself – an argument for stillness, attention, and moral imagination in a distracted world. Smith has written a generous, fiercely intelligence collection that reminds us why essays matter. They keep us awake, alive, and, in Smith’s words, “just human enough to hope” – Oliver Poole * Evening Standard *Capricious, mischievous, curious … she is a vivid and rigorous thinker, her best pieces here radiant with curiosity, and a serious but not self-serious grappling with the terror and anxiety of modern life – Megan Nolan * Observer *Dead and Alive showcases a writer whose curiosity remained undimmed. She effortlessly transitions from art critique to musings on politics, grief and pop culture * The Mirror, ‘Five of the Best New Books’ *Acute and entertaining … Fascinated to Presume: In Defence of Fiction is a nuanced take on the thorny issue of representation in fiction … These essays sketch out the ideas and critiques that inform Smith’s novels. They are a delicious peek behind the scenes of a great writer at work – or at play – Laura Hackett * The Times *The Queen of Brit Lit returns with a collection of essays … always thought-provoking and brilliant, this is your go-to book for gifting * Stylist *

Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, Swing Time and The Fraud; as well as a novella, The Embassy of Cambodia; four collections of essays, Changing My Mind, Feel Free, Intimations and Dead and Alive; a collection of short stories, Grand Union; and the play, The Wife of Willesden, adapted from Chaucer. She is also the editor of The Book of Other People. Zadie Smith was born in north-west London, where she still lives.