Zadie Smith

Advance tickets for this event are now available for MLF Get Closer Members to buy. Memberships start at £25 per year - for full details of membership benefits and buying options click HERE. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday 14 August at 10am.

Zadie Smith, one of the most beloved writers of her generation, joins us to discuss her illuminating and keenly-awaited new essay collection Dead and Alive.

Written with her usual wit and insight, Zadie takes us from an exploration of artists – including Kara Walker and Celia Paul – to Glastonbury with Stormzy and to the cinema for Tár. She mourns and celebrates the legacy of literary greats Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison and reflects on writing, reading, culture, her beloved North West London, and what it means to live and grieve in our times.

One of our most distinctive literary voices, Zadie Smith is the best-selling author of The Fraud, Swing Time, On Beauty, NW and White Teeth. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Women’s Prize.

Presented in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester. Sponsored by The Edwardian Manchester.

‘It’s hard to think of a living essayist who is better company on the page - walking you through her thoughts, curious about everything and everyone, including (unusually) the reader’ – Sunday Times

If you would like to book disabled access seats for this event, please book directly through the RNCM by emailing box.office@rncm.ac.uk or phoning 0161 907 5555. Please note that during August 2025, the booking line is open 2-5pm on Mondays only (excluding the bank holiday Monday 25th August). From September 2025, the booking lines are open 2-5pm on Mondays and Thursdays.