Meeting Donna Tartt is so worth the wait

American novelist Donna Tartt, author of The Secret History, was honoured last night with a dinner at Mr Chow in Knightsbridge, hosted by Porter magazine and attended by actor Richard E. Grant, designer Christopher Kane, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and his wife Polly Samson.

“Seated next to Donna Tartt, who has the most laser-like eyes and focus I’ve ever encountered in any human,” Grant tweeted after the dinner.

Tartt’s recently published third novel, The Goldfinch, took her nearly a decade to write. “Some people write quickly and some don’t,” said Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark. “Donna said she couldn’t have finished this book any earlier — but it was worth it”.