Feel Free (Smith book)

Feel Free: Essays

Cover of first edition
Author	Zadie Smith
Audio read by	Nikki Amuka-Bird [1]
Language	English
Genre	Essay collection
Publisher	Hamish Hamilton
Publication date	8 February 2018 [2]
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	464
Awards	2018 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism
ISBN	978-0241146897

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]

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

Reception

Feel Free was generally well-received among critics. ^[6] According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on thirty-seven critic reviews: twenty-four "rave", eleven "positive", and two "mixed". ^[7] On the May/June 2018 issue of Bookmarks, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) with the critical summary saying, "With the exception of an essay trying to link Justin Bieber and Martin Buber based on their last names, the critics were wowed by Smiths "coolly appraising, connoisseurial, discerning" output (Guardian)". ^{[8] [9]}

Feel Free won the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. ^[10] The Times named it among 2018's best literary nonfiction. ^[11]

References

1. "Feel Free". Penguin Books UK. February 8, 2018.
2. "Feel Free". Penguin Books UK. March 7, 2019.
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". BookBrowse. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
7. "Feel Free". Book Marks. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
8. "Feel Free". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
9. "Feel Free". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
10. 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.
11. "Books of the year 2018: literary nonfiction". The Times. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.

Further reading

• 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

• Official website