The Autograph Man [Paperback]

Zadie Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2006

'The novel is a pleasure from the first page to the last' - David Sexton, "Evening Standard". Alex-Li Tandem sells autographs. A small blip in a huge worldwide network of desire, it is his business to hunt for names on paper, collect them, sell them, occasionally fake them, and all to give the people what they want: a little piece of Fame. "The Autograph Man" is a deeply funny, existential tour around the hollow things of modernity - celebrity, cinema, and the ugly triumph of symbol over experience. Pushing against the tide of his generation, Alex-Li is on his way to finding enlightenment, otherwise known as some part of himself that cannot be signed, celebrated or sold.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Intelligent. . . . exquisitely clever. . . . an ironic commentary about fame, mortality, and the triumph of image over reality." --"The Boston Globe
""The same bracing intelligence and salty humor that distinguished her debut. . . . Smith scatters marvelous sentences and sharp insights on nearly every page." --"LA Times"
"A lovely surprise. Zadie Smith . . . has come out with a second book that is actually "better" than its predecessor: its dialog funnier, its language even more plugged in, more wired." --"Esquire
"
"A preternaturally gifted . . . writer [with] a voice that's street-smart and learned, sassy and philosophical all at the same time." -"The New York Times
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"Savvy, witty and exuberant." -New York "Daily News
"
"Smith is young and smart, and . . . she proves to be an amazingly gifted writer." -"Washington Post Book World"
"Smith writes sharp dialogue for every age and race-and she's funny as hell." -"Newsweek"
"[Zadie Smith] possesses a more than ordinary share of talent." -"USA Today
"
"Absolutely delightful." -Alan Cheuse, "Chicago Tribune"
"Smith's clever, aphoristic observations and snappy dialogue are so delightful they tend to become addictive. . . . [The Autograph Man is] always entertaining." -"Elle
"

About the Author

Zadie Smith was born in north-west London in 1975 and continues to live in the area. THE AUTOGRAPH MAN is her second novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Group(CA) (August 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140276343
• ISBN-13: 978-0140276343
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Zadie Smith was born in North West London in 1975 and continues to live in the area. She is currently working on a second novel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful description of a milieu with a weird main character, October 15, 2006

By 

Miquel Tintore Rebholz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autograph Man (Paperback)

By a strange coincidence in life Alex-Li is a half Asian half Caucasion of Jewish Religion. As a teenager, during the visit to a wrestling event with two other friends he meets another boy who opens to him the world of autograph collecting. Unfortunatley that same day his father days of a heart-attack.
Years later Alex-Li is a professional autograph collector and carries a completely chaotic life. He is still surrounded by the same friends of that day. All three try to make their own strides in life with some regular (Call-center employee at an insurance) to uncommon jobs (rabi), as usual they know better what Alex-Li should do than himself. There is Esther, the sister of one of Alex-Li friends who whorships Alex-Li and is his unregular love. In his profession Alex-Li meets a wide range of strange people, who are colourful characters on its own.
The big dream of Alex-Li is to get an autograph of an old Hollywood star named Kitty Alexander... When one day an autograph of her appears in the kitchen confusion reigns and the origin of the autograph remains a mistery.
A trip to New York will become crucial to solve this mistery while paranoia increases when the celebration of the anniversary of Alex-Li's father comes closer...
Zadie Smith brings us once again a complex environment where quite good developed characters have their affairs. It takes a while to get used to the rythm of the novel, and probably the novel would be better when she would not try to link so many complex relationships and digrssions and let the story and its characters flow.