International Dublin Literary Award

Ali Smith - Gliff Q&A

Ali Smith, acclaimed author, reveals her novel has made the shortlist for an international prize where each title is nominated by a library, emphasizing the prize’s global, translation‑rich roster. She stresses that libraries act as collective repositories of thought, history and imagination, and that their nominations bring diverse voices to the fore. The conversation drifts into personal memory—a WWII anecdote about a flattened figure on a French road—illustrating how individual stories become part of shared heritage. Smith recounts stumbling upon the word “gliff,” initially dismissing it as nonsense before discovering its multiple definitions, a metaphor for hidden meanings in language. She also describes a concrete development that replaced a grassy caravan‑parking field, provoking her sister’s tears and underscoring the emotional cost of urban change. The remarks highlight the intertwined roles of literature, libraries, and place‑based memory in shaping cultural discourse, reminding readers that recognition, language, and urban planning all influence how societies preserve and confront their histories.