Zadie Smith on The Wife of Willesden

On March 1, Zadie Smith visited the English Department to speak about her new play, The Wife of Willesden, showing at the A.R.T. The event was held for students enrolled in the English concentration common courses, ahead of their cohort trip to the play next week. Smith was joined in conversation with Anna Wilson, Assistant Professor of English and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, who specializes in Medieval English literature and literary culture. 

Approximately 70 attendees were present at the event. In addition to reading the beginning of the play’s prologue, Smith spoke about writing a modernized but faithful adaptation of The Canterbury Tales, the challenge of writing in rhymes, her history with Chaucer, how she adapted Chaucer’s characters and found contemporary equivalents, her experience seeing the play come to life through its actors, and the significance of the story taking place in a London pub.

After her conversation with Smith, Wilson welcomed questions from the students and faculty attending the event.