Pity the authors, says Doc Brown, little bro of Zadie Smith, who says literary penury means the White Teeth author “lives in a hovel”.
The comedian — real name Ben Smith — was compering the Book Slam Literary Club evening from the boxing ring at York Hall, Bethnal Green, last night, alongside writer Irvine Welsh and poet Kate Tempest. “F*** me, how can you make money as an author these days?” said Brown, to the crowd. “My sister is one of the most famous authors in the world, Zadie Smith, and she lives in a hovel. Seriously, all authors are just waiting around for that Hollywood contract.”
The last novel from Zadie, who divides her time between New York and London, was NW. White Teeth was made into a Channel 4 series but that big film deal, it’s true, is yet to arrive.
