Zadie Smith was born in Willesden, London in 1975 and grew up with parents of British and Jamaican descent. When her parents got divorced Smith concentrated her energy on writing short stories. After completing school, Smith went to Cambridge University and studied English Literature until 1997.
The Embassy is set in Willesden, London, where Zadie Smith herself grew up. The plot takes place in the year 2012, in which riots and Islamist attacks were common. A situation of failing cultural integration caused parallel societies to develop which eventually became the catalyst for terrorism and Islamist extremism. British Prime Minister David Cameron (2010-2016) appealed for a reflection on British values in the frame of monoculturalism.
The short story about Fatou in The Embassy of Cambodia addresses the relevant social situations and the problems of multiculturalism.