«Feel Free»: an essay by Zadie Smith. Dazzling, possessed of both imaginative empathy and an astringent wit.

«Feel Free», la segona col·lecció d’assaigs de la Zadie Smith, està plena d’entusiasme. Diríem al principi que l’escriptora s’entusiasma amb tot, des de l’art intel·lectual a la televisió. Però el seu entusiasme es va atenuant quan comença a reflexionar sobre el que la política ha fet al paisatge cultural. En els primers capítols, reflexiona sobre les biblioteques públiques que estan a punt de tancar al Regne Unit. I en el tribalisme impulsat pel Brexit.

Since she burst spectacularly into view with her debut novel almost two decades ago, Zadie Smith has established herself not just as one of the world’s preeminent fiction writers, but also a brilliant and singular essayist. She contributes regularly to The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books on a range of subjects. And each piece of hers is a literary event in its own right.

Essays

Arranged into five sections–In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free–this new collection poses questions we immediately recognize. What is The Social Network–and Facebook itself–really about? «It’s a cruel portrait of us. 500 million sentient people entrapped in the recent careless thoughts of a Harvard sophomore.» Why do we love libraries? «Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere. An indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.»