Feel Free (Smith book)

Summary

Feel Free: Essays is a 2018 book of essays by Zadie Smith. It was published on 8 February 2018 by Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books. It has been described as "thoroughly resplendent" by Maria Popova, who writes: "Smith applies her formidable mind in language to subjects as varied as music, the connection between dancing and writing, climate change, Brexit, the nature of joy, and the confusions of personhood in the age of social media."[3]

Feel Free: Essays
Cover of first edition
AuthorZadie Smith
Audio read byNikki Amuka-Bird[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreEssay collection
PublisherHamish Hamilton
Publication date
8 February 2018[2]
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages464
Awards2018 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism
ISBN978-0241146897

Smith borrowed the title from Nick Laird, her husband, who has also published a collection of poems by the same name.[4][5]

Reception edit

Critical Reception edit

The book was generally well-received among critics. According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 6 critic reviews with 24 being "rave" and 11 being "positive" and 2 being "mixed".[6]

Awards and Lists edit

References edit

  1. ^ Feel Free. February 8, 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Feel Free. March 7, 2019. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Popova, Maria, "Zadie Smith on Optimism and Despair", BrainPickings.
  4. ^ Kellaway, Kate (August 7, 2018). "Feel Free by Nick Laird review – glimpses of elsewhere". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712.
  5. ^ Bryant, Miranda (February 12, 2018). "Zadie Smith: 'I asked to use my husband's book title. Feel free, he said'". Evening Standard. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  6. ^ "Feel Free". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Hillel Italie (March 14, 2018). "Zadie Smith, Anna Burns among winners of critics prizes". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.

Further reading edit

  • Adams, Tim (February 6, 2018). "Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith review – anyone for a cultural thought experiment?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712.
  • Athitakis, Mark (February 5, 2018). "Zadie Smith riffs on Jay-Z, Philip Roth and Justin Bieber in feel-good 'Feel Free'". USA Today. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Begley, Sarah (February 1, 2018). "Zadie Smith's 'Feel Free' Shows She's a Renaissance Woman". Time. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Canfield, Kevin (February 2, 2018). "Review: 'Feel Free: Essays,' by Zadie Smith". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Clark, Alex (February 3, 2018). "Feel Free by Zadie Smith review – wonderfully suggestive essays". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  • Fortini, Amanda (March 22, 2018). "From Justin Bieber to Martin Buber, Zadie Smith's Essays Showcase Her Exuberance and Range". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  • Gentry, Amy (February 5, 2018). "Review: 'Feel Free' by Zadie Smith". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Grady, Constance (February 22, 2018). "Zadie Smith's new book of essays proves she's as great a critic as she is a novelist". Vox. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Muyumba, Walton (February 7, 2018). "Zadie Smith's brilliance is on display in 'Feel Free'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Quan, Kristene (March 1, 2018). "Review: Zadie Smith's insightful Feel Free leaves you wanting more". The Globe and Mail.
  • Scholes, Lucy (February 7, 2018). "Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith, review: They showcase some of Smith's best writing". The Independent. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Self, John (February 10, 2018). "Feel Free by Zadie Smith review: rich and fascinating essays". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Weir, Keziah (February 9, 2018). "Zadie Smith Doesn't Want to Waste Her Time". ELLE. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  • Williams, Thomas Chatterton (August 30, 2018). "Sheer Enthusiasm". London Review of Books. pp. 37–39. ISSN 0260-9592.
  • "Zadie Smith: 'I have a very messy and chaotic mind'". The Guardian. January 21, 2018. ISSN 0261-3077.

External links edit

  • Official website