扎迪·史密斯是当代英国最具影响力的作家之一，橘子奖获得者，2003年被英国著名文学杂志《格兰塔》每10年评选一次英国最佳青年作家20强。
Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.
经营良好的图书馆里挤满了人，因为一个好的图书馆所提供的东西在别处是不容易找到的：一个室内公共空间，你不必为了停留而购买任何东西。
You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality.
你不能说差别，也不能说平等。我们必须陈述相同才能理解平等。
When I was 21, I wanted to write like Kafka. But, unfortunately for me, I wrote like a script editor for 'The Simpsons' who'd briefly joined a religious cult and then discovered Foucault. Such is life.
当我21岁的时候，我想像卡夫卡一样写作。但对我来说不幸的是，我的写作就像《辛普森一家》的剧本编辑，他曾短暂地加入一个宗教崇拜，后来发现了福柯。这就是生活。
In my situation, every time I write a sentence, I'm thinking not only of the people I ended up in college with but my siblings, my family, my school friends, the people from my neighborhood. I've come to realize that this is an advantage, really: it keeps you on your toes.
在我的情况下，每次我写一句话，我想到的不仅是那些和我一起上大学的人，还有我的兄弟姐妹，我的家人，我的学校朋友，我的邻居。我逐渐意识到这是一个优势，真的：它让你保持警觉。
I love to dance, and sing - in the shower, not in public. I'm too old to go raving, but my fondest memories are of that kind of thing - dancing, with lots of people, outside if possible.
我喜欢跳舞，唱歌-在淋浴时，而不是在公共场合。我年纪太大了，不能胡说八道，但我最美好的记忆就是那种东西——跳舞，和很多人在一起，如果可能的话，在外面。
I have an ambition to write a great book, but that's really a competition with myself. I've noticed that a lot of young writers, people in all media, want to be famous but they don't really want to do anything. I can't think of anything less worth striving for than fame.
我有写一本好书的雄心，但那确实是和我自己的竞争。我注意到很多年轻作家，所有媒体的人，都想出名，但他们其实什么都不想做。我想不出比名望更值得为之奋斗的了。
Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand - but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.
透过面纱说出真相-但是告诉它。让自己沉浸在永不满足带来的终生悲伤中。
You know, you don't expect everyone to be as educated as everyone else or have the same achievements, but you expect at least to be offered at least some of the opportunities, and libraries are the most simple and the most open way to give people access to books.
你知道，你并不期望每个人都像其他人一样受到教育，或者取得同样的成就，但你至少期望得到一些机会，图书馆是让人们获得书籍的最简单和最开放的方式。