Nick Hornby

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

With the novels Fever Pitch (1992), High Fidelity (1995), About a Boy (1998) and How to be Good, which have become world wide best sellers, he won wide recognition and is currently one of the best-known modern English writers. The novels Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, and About a Boy have appealled particularly to men in their thirties and draw on 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. Nick Hornby is the author of the two anthologies called 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.

High Fidelity was adapted for a 1999 film and featured John Cusack. His novel About a Boy was adapted for the screen by the makers of Bridget Jones's Diary and features Hugh Grant. The story of the novel deals with the relationship between the grown-up Will, who behaves like a teenager and is only interested in music and going out, and the boy Marcus, who acts like Will actually should. First Will can be seen as very superficial but afterwards he changes with the help of the teenager Marcus into a better and more social person.

In 2003 Hornby published Songbook, a collection of essays on selected popular songs and albums. The music Hornby chooses in Songbook varies 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 delves into what makes music catchy or classic, and how it comes 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.