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Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby (born 1957) is an English writer who lives in Highbury, in the north of London.

Hornby built his name first with the memoir Fever Pitch (1992) about his lifelong support of Arsenal F.C., then followed it up with the best-selling novels High Fidelity (1995), About a Boy (1998) and How to be Good (2001). Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, and About a Boy appeal in particular to men in their twenties and thirties, and draw on the author's life experience. Hornby writes in a very funny and entertaining style, however many observers have noted that his stories also contain a hidden depth, not necessarily appreciated at a first glance. Hornby also edited two anthologies, My Favourite Year and Speaking with the Angel .

In 1999 he received the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Art and Letters .

Several of Hornby's books have successfully made the jump from page to screen. A British movie version of Fever Pitch was released in 1997 starring Colin Firth, but the 2000 movie High Fidelity starring John Cusack made Hornby a worldwide household name. One curiosity of the screenplay was that it set the action in Chicago rather than the book's London. After this success, About A Boy was quickly picked up, and released in 2002 starring Hugh Grant. Coming up in the future, IMDB lists an Americanized movie version of Fever Pitch, with Jimmy Fallon playing a hopelessly addicted Boston Red Sox fan and Drew Barrymore playing his girlfriend, in pre-production as of August 2004.

Hornby has also written essays on various aspects of popular culture, and in particular has become something of an authoritative literary voice for pop music and mix tape enthusiasts. In 2003 Hornby published Songbook (also known as "31 Songs"), a collection of essays on selected popular songs and albums. The music Hornby chose in Songbook varied from established classics like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to independents like Ani Difranco, Top 40 pop like Nelly Furtado, and a few songs with resonance only to Hornby. Song by song, Hornby delved into what makes music catchy or classic, and how it can come to play an integral role in a person's emotional life. For best results, try to get access to a high-speed internet connection while reading this book -- some of the songs Hornby writes about are obscure, and although the essays do make sense without hearing the songs, you miss out on the full experience.

In September 2003, Hornby began writing a book review column, "Stuff I've Been Reading," for the monthly magazine The Believer . In 2004 a collection of Hornby's criticism will be published under the title The Polysyllabic Spree .



Last updated: 02-07-2005 09:07:59
Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55