Dead and Alive
Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith is a new collection published by Penguin Random House on October 30, 2025, featuring 352 pages in English. In this eagerly anticipated work, Smith applies her talents as an essayist to explore a variety of subjects that have engaged her in recent years, offering insights into the lives and works of notable artists and cultural figures.
Readers will find a thoughtful examination of artists such as Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker, and Celia Paul, alongside reflections on contemporary cinema and music, including the film *Tar* and the rise of Stormzy at Glastonbury. Smith also shares personal memories and observations from her walks in North West London, while contemplating the legacies of influential writers like Joan Didion and Toni Morrison. This collection addresses significant political changes and the concept of ‘the commons,’ showcasing Smith’s ability to engage with pressing social issues through a critical and humane lens.
Official synopsis Publisher
In this keenly awaited new collection, Zadie Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects which have captured her attention in recent years.
She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about Tar, and to Glastonbury to witness the ascendance of Stormzy. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North West London and invites us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic – and the meaning of ‘the commons’ in all our lives.
Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.
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