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September 21, 2005
The Sunday Review Of Babes-- Whoops!-- Books, I Meant Books
Now I'm as excited as the next nerd to read the new Zadie Smith. I think. Anyway.
The Frank Rich review in the NYTimes Sunday Book Review was glowing and made me want to read the book. But was it really necessary for the review to devote to the two gigantic glamour shots of the, admittedly quite beautiful, author than is allotted to most book reviews? The online version shows the two headshots, but it really doesn't convey the enormous proportion of the paper was occupied by her (very pretty) face.
And I like pretty people. I like looking at pretty people. I like looking at pretty, colorful photographs. In fashion magazines. Not in literary supplements.
Incidentally, while googling up a Smith bio link for this post I came across this one.
In her midteens, she changed her name from Sadie, to Zadie, because she thought that it would make her sound more exotic, and it certainly shows that she was thinking of words and what they mean from an early age (Sadie means 'mercy' or 'princess', which is a bit girly -ed.). There aren't that many Sadie Smiths out there, if the internet is anything to go by, so she did not really have to change her name to stand out. On the other hand, if you type "Zadie" into Google, all the links are related to her, so she is the most famous Zadie in the world.
There is just so much there I just don't understand. You read it once, you think the writer contradicts himself. You read it again, you think this is a very weird and obscure way to edge in a jab about an author's careerism, celebrity and relation with fame.
Posted by hissycat at September 21, 2005 08:55 PM
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Comments
Not really related but I heard that booksellers and other people have complained that Zadie Smith is rude and unsociable at her readings.
Which reminds me that Joan Didion is coming to town soon so I am looking forward to hearing her talk. Have you ever heard her voice? She seems like this fierce little lady but if you listen to her old NPR recordings, she's actually somewhat meek and slow in her speech.
Posted by: Gwyneth_Paltrow (original impostor) at September 22, 2005 05:44 AM
I LOVE Joan Didion. As in, my computer wallpaer is her portrait tiled out of fucking control and I push her books on people like a drug dealer pushes crack on teenagers in an afterschool special. Democracy just might be my favorite book of all time. Or one of them. Well, it's up there in the winner's circle for sure. The image of Inez in the field with her sandals in her hand is, for me, one of the most magnificent images in all of literature. When and where is she talking? I would sell an eyeball to go hear her.
And yeah, I've pre-ordered the new book on Amazon, because yeah, I'm a fucking nerd.
Posted by: hissycat at September 23, 2005 03:52 PM
wait, here's an idea.
why don't you just post nice SUBTLE ideas about socialism? because I think that you are clearly a voice of the socialist future. you know you really are. you're spirit to the people, so evident in everything you do. you really are the future. god bless you.
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