ZADIE SMITH : AN UNEXPECTED MENTOR



 

Joy’s trick is to supply
Dry lips with what can cool and slake,
Leaving them dumbstruck also with an ache
Nothing can satisfy.

- Richard Wilbur      

    

There's a parable in the Gospels - the Parable of the Hidden Treasure - where a man stumbles upon a treasure buried in a field. Overcome with joy at his discovery, he goes and sells everything he owns in order to buy that very piece of land. It’s quite a striking parable, both as a depiction of the Kingdom of Heaven and as an illustration of that irresistible impulse that comes with finding something of immense worth. It speaks rather well to my recent, unwavering admiration for the British author Zadie Smith.

I recall listening to a podcast featuring one of my favourite poets, Christian Wiman, where he made a profound observation about joy. He referenced a remark by Zadie Smith, who once noted that people often mistake joy for an intensified form of pleasure - a notion she found somewhat absurd. She put it this way: "And if you asked me if I wanted more joyful experiences in my life, I wouldn’t be at all sure I did, exactly because it proves such a difficult emotion to manage."

I must admit, I understand precisely what she means. Joy, unlike mere happiness, is unwieldy, overwhelming - even disruptive. When I first heard Wiman mention her, what began as a happy accident swiftly became a deep and growing admiration. Her novels, her essays, and her many interviews have drawn me in, and she has, in a way, become an unexpected mentor. Listening to her speak has only strengthened my desire to refine my own English - still blunt, still seasoned with the rhythms of Nigerian speech, but now yearning for a sharper, more polished edge.😆

It seems unlikely that stumbling upon Zadie Smith through Wiman was a mere coincidence. Perhaps, in some way, Wiman mediated our relationship . And so, the question arises: should I, in my evening vespers, offer thanks for this newfound literary treasure? Or should I pause, wary of the fact that admiration is often fleeting, susceptible to the next dazzling mind that crosses my path? But then again, isn’t that the whole thrill of it? The chase, the discovery, the joy that feels almost too unwieldy to bear? Maybe the real question is: should I be worried that my newfound literary devotion might be as fleeting as a British summer?


Hemen A. Emmanuel O.S.A

Colegio Mayor Mendel. C. del Rector Royo-Villanova, 6, Moncloa - Aravaca, 28040 Madrid

Madrid, España.   







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