It is a simple matter of what you will do when the chips are down, my friend.

This quote comes from Zadie Smith’s debut novel, the award-winning “White Teeth,” about two unlikely friends, both veterans of World War II. Smith has since gone on to write four more novels and three essay collections, the most recent of which, “Intimations,” was written during the early months of the Covid-19 lockdown and released in July 2020. Smith's fluid prose has led critics to compare her work to that of such disparate writers as Charles Dickens and Salman Rushdie, but she has made a name for herself in being incomparable. Currently working as a tenured professor at New York University, she continues to inspire readers with her insightful writing, putting words on the page even when the chips are down.