Zadie Smith Quotes & Sayings (Page 7)

“When I was 21, I wanted to write like Kafka. But, unfortunately for me, I wrote like a script editor for 'The Simpsons' who'd briefly joined a religious cult and then discovered Foucault. Such is life.”

“English writing tends to fall into two categories - the big, baggy epic novel or the fairly controlled, tidy novel. For a long time, I was a fan of the big, baggy novel, but there's definitely an advantage to having a little bit more control.”

“I just realized quite early on that I'm not going to be the type who can write a novel every two years. I think you need to feel an urgency about the act. Otherwise, when you read it, you feel no urgency, either. So I don't write unless I really feel I need to, and that's a luxury.”

“Without the balancing context of everyday life, all you have is the news, and news by its nature is generally bad.”

“World makers, social network makers, ask one question first: 'How can I do it?'”

“If you love a young writer, maybe the best thing you can do is give them a little bit of space.”

“My short stories have always pushed twenty pages. That's no length for a short story to be. You either do them short like Carver or you stop trying.”

“Normally, young writers have all the time in the world and they don't always use it well.”

“Working with great writers can be humbling and frightening, but it can also change you for good, forever.”

“All novels attempt to cut neural routes through the brain, to convince us that down this road the true future of the novel lies.”