An immaculate wardrobe of pristine suits, precisely trimmed raven hair; and most of all, a remarkably brilliant writing style – this five feet tall lady shook the readers with awe through her 1992 debut novel “The Secret History.”
With her first novel, an engrossing murder mystery in reverse, securing a spot in the New York Times best-seller list for 13 weeks and translated into 24 languages, Donna Tartt has continued on to creating even more literary gems such as “The Little Friend” and “The Goldfinch”. The former was based on the attempt of a 12-year-old girl to avenge the death of her brother and won the WH Smith Literary Award in 2003. “The Goldfinch” was declared to be another masterpiece of Tartt and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014, the jury declaring the novel as stimulating to the mind and the heart.
Over time, Tartt has gained immense success and a loyal fan base, but the Pulitzer Prize-winning author was once just a simple bookish child who was stuck at home for quite a while due to tonsillitis, and used that time to fondly read and write poetry. She wrote her first poem during this period as a five year old, and her literary gifts only intensified as she grew up to be a 29 year old bestselling novelist.
Irrespective of the timelessness of the fame of her works, she is still the grounded child at heart who loves to read and write in seclusion. In fact, you won’t be able to find Donna Tartt anywhere on social media apps or other media controversies (not even as much as a selfie!). She is known to release an awe-inspiring novel, disappear for a whole decade to work on another, until reappearing years later with her next book, whilst explaining this phenomenon as, “My desk is where the real work happens.”
We absolutely adore a writer who is only concerned with their craft during this era of online traffic and chaos. But most of all, anyone who has ever read Donna Tartt will only say something like this :
She’s dense, she’s allusive. She’s a gorgeous storyteller.
Stephen King
.. remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading.
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
… we remember why we enjoy Donna Tartt so much: the humming plot and elegant prose; the living, breathing characters; the perfectly captured settings….Joy and sorrow exist in the same breath.
Vanity Fair
And as for us at Untwine Me, we will conclude that mademoiselle Donna Tartt is a literary genius who was made to do just what she does and how she does it. Her works are captivating to the point of perfection and there is no way they would not another artist – intimidate with their prowess, inspire with their scrupulousness, as well as enthral with their seductiveness.
Written by Ravgun Kaur
