Zadie Smith says inequality has made culture clashes feel existential

Novelist Zadie Smith said that economic inequality has made culture clashes feel existential during an interview at the Southbank Centre in London, the Guardian reported. Speaking with singer Dua Lipa as part of the London literature festival, Smith stated that the demise of Britain's historic welfare system and ongoing housing struggles have created deeper social divisions. The London Evening Standard also reported her remark that it has become natural to look to your left and wonder who someone is. [1][2]

During the discussion, Smith and Lipa revisited Smith's debut novel, White Teeth, Martin Cid Magazine reported. The Guardian added that the book was published in 2000, while Martin Cid Magazine noted that Smith had never reread her debut novel until this event. [1][3]

Smith is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer who became a tenured professor in creative writing at New York University in September 2010. Lipa is an English singer and songwriter who has won seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Smith also recently joined other literary figures in auctioning character naming rights to support the charity Freedom from Torture. [4][5][8]