Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith is a novelist whose first book, 'White Teeth,' was a sensation, instantly putting her on the literary map.

By Biography.com EditorsUpdated: Sep 9, 2022

(1975-)

Synopsis

Famed author Zadie Smith was born in London, England, on October 25, 1975. At age 21, Smith submitted some 80 pages of what would become White Teeth to an agent, and the book was published in a few years later to rave reviews, winning numerous awards, including the Whitbread First Novel Award. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Smith's third novel, On Beauty, was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and won the 2006 Orange Prize for fiction.

Smith's fifth book, Swing Time, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2017. In 2018, her sixth book, Feel Free, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism.

In March 2022, Smith was awarded the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award previously given to Toni Morrison, Stephen Sondheim and Margaret Atwood. She is the youngest recipient ever to receive the prize.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Zadie Smith
Birth Year: 1975
Birth date: October 25, 1975
Birth City: London
Birth Country: England
Gender: Female
Best Known For: Zadie Smith is a novelist whose first book, 'White Teeth,' was a sensation, instantly putting her on the literary map.
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