Early Life and Education of Zadie Smith: A Complete Timeline

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Zadie Smith

Discover the defining moments in the early life of Zadie Smith. From birth to education, explore key events.

Zadie Smith is a celebrated English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, *White Teeth*, achieved immediate success upon its release in 2000, earning her numerous accolades. In 2010, Smith became a tenured professor in the Creative Writing program at New York University, solidifying her position as a prominent figure in contemporary literature and academia.

1969: Mother's Emigration to England

In 1969, Zadie Smith's mother emigrated from Jamaica to England.

October 1975: Zadie Smith's Birth

In October 1975, Zadie Smith, originally named Sadie Smith, was born.

Others born on this day/year

July 2000: James Wood's Literary Criticism

In July 2000, James Wood critiqued Zadie Smith's debut work in an essay entitled "Human, All Too Inhuman", categorizing White Teeth as part of a contemporary genre of hysterical realism.

2000: Interview with The Guardian

In 2000, in an interview with The Guardian, Zadie Smith clarified that she received a Third in her Part Ones at Cambridge, not a double First as previously reported.

October 2001: Smith's Response to Criticism

In October 2001, Zadie Smith responded to James Wood's criticism in The Guardian, agreeing with the accuracy of the term hysterical realism but rejecting her debut being categorized alongside other authors.

2004: Marriage to Nick Laird

In 2004, Zadie Smith married Nick Laird in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

November 2006: Move to Rome

In November 2006, Zadie Smith and her husband Nick Laird moved to Rome, where they lived until 2007.

2007: Living in Rome

In 2007, Zadie Smith and her husband Nick Laird lived in Rome, and later lived in New York City and the Kilburn area of London.

September 2010: Tenured Professor at NYU

In September 2010, Zadie Smith became a tenured professor in the Creative Writing faculty of New York University.

2010: Joined NYU as a Professor

In 2010, Zadie Smith joined New York University as a tenured professor of fiction.

2010: Favourite Book

In a 2010 interview, Zadie Smith said that Middlemarch by George Eliot was her favourite book.

2018: Brent Selected as London Borough of Culture

In 2018, Zadie Smith's borough in London, Brent, was selected as the 2020 London Borough of Culture.

2020: Brent as London Borough of Culture

In 2020, Zadie Smith's borough in London, Brent, had been selected in 2018 as the 2020 London Borough of Culture.