Following the publication of Smith’s first novel,
White Teeth(2000),
The Autograph Man(2002) was less acclaimed. Its publication was surrounded by rumours of writer’s block (Tew, “Zadie Smith” 40) and it
has often been regarded as Smith’s less powerful narrative, with critics such as Adam Mars Jones and James Woods arguing against its pastiche and the American feel of the narrative. Smith’s second novel is not a direct inheritor to
White Teeth: although still present, the core themes of identity and cultural struggles that caught the attention of publishers and readers alike were not as evident. Furthermore, they gave way to an even more difficult one: grief in a multicultural, post-secular world, and the escape from the real to the world of fame and entertainment. If
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Citation: Perez Zapata, Beatriz. "The Autograph Man". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 April 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10599, accessed 21 November 2024.]
