White Teeth: Zadie Smith On London Life & Growing Up Between Cultures

For November’s Service95 Book Club Monthly Read, Dua Lipa is joined by acclaimed British author Zadie Smith for a special live conversation at London Literature Festival 2026, as part of the programme curated by Dua. Together, they revisit Zadie’s extraordinary debut, White Teeth. Published in 2000, when Zadie was just 24, the novel became an instant literary sensation and is still a defining portrait of London and the communities that call it home.

Looking back on the book all these years later, Zadie reflects on the experience of writing her debut in her early twenties, its unexpected success and her complicated but affectionate relationship with the novel today. The pair also discuss growing up between cultures, belonging and how economic insecurity can deepen divisions. Along with the novel’s questions around faith and genetic engineering, there are also plenty of laughs.

Whether White Teeth is already on your bookshelf or you've yet to discover it, consider this your sign to dive into Zadie’s body of work from the very beginning. And if you're already a fan, there's plenty to enjoy in hearing her reflect on the novel that first introduced her to readers around the world.

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