In 'The Fraud,' Zadie Smith takes on historical fiction and the Tichborne case

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4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 12 September 2023

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

In the 19th century, a butcher living in Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. The Tichborne trial, which sparked much controversy and even more attention in Victorian England, is at the center of Zadie Smith's new novel, The Fraud. In today's episode, the author tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly how she became captivated by the outrageous lies the man told in court, and how the way his believers still dug their heels and supported him echoes the state of politics in the 21st century.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Zadie Smith is one of those rare writers today,
0:08.2	where it always feels like a big deal when they've got a new book out. She got super famous,
0:13.5	in literary circles at least, for her book White Teeth, which was a critical hit when it came out in
0:18.8	2000, and reviews gushed over how such a book
0:22.2	could come from such a young writer. You know, she was 24 at the time. And since then, she's
0:27.3	taken her time between releases. Her last book came out in 2016. Her new one, The Fraud, is her
0:33.5	first go at historical fiction, and it's about this guy who lies, a lot,
0:38.3	and is only rewarded for his lies.
0:41.3	And she talked to NPR's Mary Louise Kelly
0:43.3	about the lines she's drawing between liars from way back when
0:47.3	to liars today.
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1:10.1	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
1:14.3	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
1:16.7	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:20.1	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:23.4	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:28.2	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:38.4	We're going to speak now with the author of a new book about a trial, a complete spectacle of a trial, a nation riveted by the proceedings.
1:46.7	At the center of the trial, the testimony of a man who says one provably false thing after another. And the more outrageously, obviously untrue the things the man says, the more his supporters surged to his
	...

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