Zadie Smith talk, Southbank Centre 2017

The story of a luminous 21-year-old whose unfinished debut novel sparked a historic publishers' bidding war has become the stuff of literary legend. But more remarkable is the development of such bravura young talent across a sustained literary career.

Zadie Smith will always be the wunderkind who wrote White Teeth in 2000. She would not, and could not, rush a follow-up to capitalise on the extraordinary surge of interest generated by her multi-award-winning first novel. But nor did she baulk under the weight of expectation.

Instead, Smith has taken her time to expand the distinctive spark of humour and multicultural perspective in Autograph Man, On Beauty and NW. Dialogue still fizzes from the page, narrative arcs still surprise, but each new novel is ambitiously fresh.

Four years after NW, Smith returned to the literary limelight with Swing Time, one of the last year's literary highlights. Spanning West Africa and West London it revolves around relationships and music, with humanity and humour at its core .

This summer Zadie Smith will be making two rare public appearances to read from Swing Time and reflect more broadly on her fiction, essays and influences. A copy of the book is included in the ticket prices.

We go to see lots of authors discuss their work and few have the eloquence and presence of Smith. She is writer who inspires intense fandom, from readers and critics alike.

Throw in her aversion to public events and this Zadie Smith talk may well sell out; book pronto.