Dead and Alive

Capricious, mischievous, curious . . . she is a vivid and rigorous thinker, her best pieces here radiant with curiosity, and a serious but not self-serious grappling with the terror and anxiety of modern life

Megan Nolan, Observer

Dead and Alive showcases a writer whose curiosity remained undimmed. She effortlessly transitions from art critique to musings on politics, grief and pop culture

The Mirror

Smith gives a masterclass in the modern essay. In Dead and Alive, Zadie Smith once again confirms that she is among the most expert essayists of her generation . . . Even when she writs about death, disillusionment, or the absurdity of fame, "protect your consciousness," she advises, and this book feels like an act of protection in itself – an argument for stillness, attention, and moral imagination in a distracted world. Smith has written a generous, fiercely intelligent collection that reminds us why essays matter. They keep us awake, alive, and, in Smith’s words, "just human enough to hope"

Evening Standard

Acute and entertaining . . . Fascinated to Presume: In Defence of Fiction is a nuanced take on the thorny issue of representation in fiction . . . These essays sketch out the ideas and critiques that inform Smith’s novels. They are a delicious peek behind the scenes of a great writer at work – or at play

The Times

The Queen of Brit Lit returns with a collection of essays . . . always thought-provoking and brilliant, this is your go-to book for gifting

Stylist

Smith is as fine an essayist as she is a novelist. Her latest collection on culture, art and public life proves that few writers can frame the present moment with such clarity – and few can so carefully balance intellectual acuity with playfulness

i Paper, 'The 14 best non-fiction books of 2025'

It’s not often that I find myself getting genuinely excited for the release of an essay collection, but I make an exception for Zadie Smith. Much as I love her novels, her criticism and non-fiction have always had the edge for me. I always come away from reading her essays feeling as though she’s managed to articulate something I’ve been mulling in the back of my mind for a while. Simultaneously, she manages to turn all my assumptions upside down – and isn’t that exactly what reading should do? Dead and Alive is a real dazzler, jumping effortlessly between subjects as disparate as the Cate Blanchett movie Tar, the work of Hilary Mantel, Stormzy’s Glastonbury set, and Smith’s beloved hometown of Kilburn. Buy it for that friend who’s intimidatingly culturally literate, and await their nod of approval

Independent

Zadie Smith – a great novelist, but real heads know it’s non-fiction where she shines best. Her essays, with their piercing analyses and omnivorous subject matter (one throws Justin Bieber together with the philosopher Martin Buber), are some of the finest modern examples of the form. Smith’s latest collection, Dead and Alive, has a great premise, combining eulogies to the dead (Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, etc) with odes to everyone and everything that’s full of life

GQ, 'The best books of 2025'

With essays ranging from artist Toyin Ojih Odutola to Stormzy at Glastonbury, this chocolate box of a book is ideal for dipping into when you need a cultural treat

Good Housekeeping, 'Brilliant Christmas gift books'

[Zadie Smith’s] latest, Dead and Alive, shows how adept she is, an essay collection ranging from criticism (her take on Tár is a highlight) to obituary (Roth, Morrison, Amis) to the personal. She’s never less than interesting and her capacity to rise above the noise of online discourse makes this collection enduring and surprising

Australian Book Review, '2025 Books of the Year'

Filled with Smith’s crisp observations, Dead and Alive is a smart, sombre book . . . There’s pleasure in watching a novelist wired to see all sides at once wrangle with her own dynamic subjectivity; what’s compelling is the effort of eliciting in herself the most honest possible take . . . Writing criticism –offering an opinion, putting one’s skin in the game – is a form of stewardship to the commons, of showing up to that imperilled space in which Cultural Luminaries might decide to join students in speaking out against injustice, however imperfectly, because they feel an ethical imperative to do so. In Dead and Alive, Smith reminds us that this place still exists, even as its lights flicker and dim

The New York Times

Few writers are as dazzling and versatile as Smith, whose new collection of essays highlights the necessity of criticism at a moment when critical thinking teeters across the West and authoritarian forces are flexing their power . . . With the act of reading books in worldwide decline, Smith pushes back in a cool, Joan Didion-like analysis of where we’ve been and where we’re headed

TIME, ‘Books of the year 2025’

Novelist and critic Smith brings an incisive eye and keen wit to art, music, fiction, politics, and more in this wide-ranging essay collection . . . Smith delivers original insights couched in sly, artful prose . . . Readers will be rewarded by this unforgettable collection

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Zadie Smith’s nonfiction has a particular shine. She makes it look easy. Her sentences read as though she is talking to us. And her clarity seems to be of a piece with her ethics: that no reader should ever be locked out of her argument . . . she is always persuasive and her voice – shaded with optimism and wit – is always a delight

Times Literary Supplement