How Zadie Smith Lost Her Teeth

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( book review [How Zadie Smith Lost Her Teeth]( Since her audacious debut, the author has moved toward realism — and become the least interesting version of herself. Illustration: Uli Knörzer [Zadie Smith](’s first book, [White Teeth](, was the English comic novel on bath salts. Published to universal acclaim in 2000, it loosely centered on the Iqbals and the Joneses, two zany families living in Willesden Green, the diverse North London neighborhood where Smith grew up. Her madcap creations lost their teeth, fucked twins, gave birth during earthquakes, predicted the end of the world; there were Irish pubs owned by Iraqis, genetically modified mice, and an Islamic fundamentalist group named KEVIN. (“‘We are aware,’ said Hifan solemnly, pointing to the spot underneath the cupped flame where the initials were minutely embroidered, ‘that we have an acronym problem.’”) All the while, one never lost sight of Smith herself, bursting with exuberance and sincerity. [Critics]( celebrated her for breaking “the iron rule that first fictions should be thin slices of autobiography, served dripping with self-pity,” even as the author’s biographical details — her age (24), her race (Jamaican mother, white father), her looks (good) — would make her an object of fascination. “Is Britishness cream tea and the queen?” asked the New York Times. “Or curry and Zadie Smith?” [read more]( The Latest TV Recaps • The Real Housewives of New York City: [Business Casualty]( • Only Murders in the Building: [Low Spirits]( • Below Deck Down Under: [Little Sips (Episode 14)](, [Recipe for Disaster (Episode 15)]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Diddy to Receive Global Icon Award at MTV VMAs Performances include Demi Lovato and Karol G.]( By Alejandra Gularte [Is There Anything Lea Can’t Seydoux? In her latest film at Venice, The Beast, Seydoux stars in three different genres at once.]( [Love Is Like Solitary Confinement “They slowly take away your identity,” says Love Is Blind contestant Nick Thompson, who’s demanding worker protections across the reality-TV industry.]( By Sam Sanders [Olivia Rodrigo Is Inspired by The White Album Guess which one.]( By Jason P. Frank [Beyoncé’s B-Day Had Club Renaissance Jumpin’ Jumpin’ Diana Ross sang “Happy Birthday,” Kendrick Lamar performed, and Zendaya and every celebrity ever pulled up.]( By Zoe Guy [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 17-Across, Four Letters: 2021’s Best Picture. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. Photo: Photo by Susan Maljan/B) 2023 Susan Maljan One of the hardest-working and most respected comedians of the 21st century, [Maria Bamford]( got to the top of the stand-up world and its associated industries the hard way: by being kind, persistent, and uncompromisingly original. Her act blends traditional stand-up style, parodies of stand-up, performance art, and, particularly in recent years, soul-probing confessional monologuing. While often taking on the voices and personalities of relatives, friends, or enemies with uncanny precision to better discuss and rib them in bits, Bamford is also always as honest as possible. Her comedy tries to understand the harsh, cruel, or arbitrary ways in which others behave. That’s a means to an end for humor, but it has also clearly helped Bamford try to figure herself out. In [her new book](, Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere, [Bamford fully reveals the grand story behind her mental-health journey](. [Read more from Vulture]( A newsletter of TV and movie recommendations. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved