| Nick Hornby |
Article Index for Nick |
Shopping Hornby |
Website Links For Nick |
Information AboutNick Hornby |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NICK HORNBY | |
| 1957 births | |
| living people | |
| alumni of jesus college, cambridge | |
| english memoirists | |
| english novelists | |
| people from london | |
| people from maidenhead | |
| people from surrey | |
| mcsweeneys | |
Nick Hornby (born 17 April 1957 in Redhill, Surrey , England) is an English Novelist and Essayist . He is best known for the novels '' High Fidelity '', '' About A Boy '' and the Football memoir '' Fever Pitch ''. In his work he frequently touches upon sports, music, and the aimless and obsessive personalities of his main characters. PERSONAL LIFE Hornby graduated from Cambridge University with a 2.2 in English Literature. Gender Trouble : Patrick McGuigan talks with Nick Hornby about the changing roles of men and women in his new novel How To Be Good He taught English to foreign students and also worked as a journalist before turning to writing. In 1993 Hornby's son Danny was born with Autism . His son's disorder led him to become a co-founder of TreeHouse , an organization to which he contributed much of the profits from ''Speaking with the Angel''. In 1998 Hornby's marriage with Virginia Bovell collapsed and they later divorced. Hornby lives in Maidenhead, England . CAREER Hornby's first book, '' Fever Pitch '', was published in 1992 . It is an autobiographical story about his fanatical support of the Arsenal Football Club . As a result, Hornby won the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award . In 1997 the book was adapted for Film In The UK and in 2005 an American Remake was released featuring the Boston Red Sox . After this first publication, Hornby began to publish his articles in the '' Sunday Times '', ''Time Out'' and the '' Times Literary Supplement '', in addition to his music reviews for the '' New Yorker ''. His second book and first novel, '' High Fidelity '', was published in 1995 . The novel, about a neurotic record collector and his failed relationships, was adapted into a Film in 2000 starring John Cusack and a Broadway Musical in 2006. His third novel, '' About A Boy '', published in 1998 , is about two "boys" -- Marcus, an awkward yet endearing adolescent from a single parent family, and the free floating, mid-30s Will Freeman who overcomes his own immaturity and self-centeredness through his growing relationship with Marcus. Hugh Grant starred in the 2002 movie version. In 1999 Hornby received the E.M. Forster Award of the American Academy Of Arts And Letters . The novel '' Hornby wrote a collection of essays on selected popular songs and the emotional resonance they carry, called '' 31 Songs '' (known in the United States as ''Songbook''). Also in 2003, Hornby was awarded the London Award 2003, an award that was selected by fellow writers. Hornby wins London literary award , BBC News Hornby has also written essays on various aspects of popular culture, and in particular he has become known for his writing on pop music and Mix Tape enthusiasts. He also began writing a book review column, "Stuff I've Been Reading," for the monthly magazine The Believer ; several of these articles are collected in '' The Polysyllabic Spree '' ( 2004 ) and '' Housekeeping Vs. The Dirt '' ( 2006 ). The writer's newest book, '' A Long Way Down '', was published in 2005. It was on the shortlist for the Whitbread Novel Award . Hornby has also edited two sports-related anthologies: ''My Favourite Year'' and ''The Picador Book of Sports Writing''. Hornby will be releasing a book for young teenagers entitled ''Slam'' in 2007. It has also been rumoured that he has been writing a movie with Emma Thompson . ADAPTATIONS Film Several of Hornby's books have made the jump from page to screen. Hornby wrote the screenplay for the first, a 1997 British adaptation of '' Fever Pitch '', starring Colin Firth . It was followed in 2000 by '' High Fidelity '', starring John Cusack ; this adaptation was notable in that the action was shifted from London to Chicago . After this success, '' About A Boy '' was quickly picked up, and released in 2002, starring Hugh Grant . An Americanized '' Fever Pitch '', in which Jimmy Fallon plays a hopelessly addicted Boston Red Sox fan who tries to reconcile his love of the game with that of his girlfriend ( Drew Barrymore ), was released in 2005. It appears likely that ''A Long Way Down'' will also be adapted; Johnny Depp purchased film rights to the book before it was published. Stage ''High Fidelity'' was also the basis for a 2006 Musical , which shifted the action to Brooklyn ; its book is by David Lindsay-Abaire , with lyrics by Amanda Green and music by Tom Kitt . The production ran for a month in Boston , then moved to Broadway , closing after 18 previews and 14 regular performances. Music The importance of music in Hornby's novels, and in his life, is evidenced by his long-standing and fruitful collaborations with the Industrial rock band Throbbing Gristle , fronted by Genesis P-Orridge . Hornby has even toured in the USA and Europe with the band, joining them on stage to read his own essays about particular moments and performers in his own musical history which have had a particular meaning for him. The band typically follows each of Hornby's essays, about subjects including Bob Marley, Rory Gallagher and The Clash, by playing a song by each of those artists. Hornby and TG (whose small but intensely dedicated band of fans also includes Stephen King – who has praised them in his "Entertainment Weekly" column - and Bruce Springsteen - who has played live with TG on several occasions, notably at Giants Stadium on August 23, 2003) have worked together on this project over time, and together put on a show - for one night only, in London - of all the essays and songs, concluding with his essay about TG themselves, and followed by a full concert of the band's own songs. One of the main characters in Hornby's "A Long Way Down", (a down on his luck industrial rock singer delivering pizzas in north London and considering suicide on the last day of 1999) is widely supposed to have been inspired by P-Orridge's own experiences in London. BIBLIOGRAPHY Novels
Non-fiction
Anthologies edited
FILM ADAPTATIONS
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|