English novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and lyricist Nick Hornby has produced a number of memorable works, foremost of which are his novels “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy” and screenplays for films “An Education” and “Brooklyn.” Here’s a quick look at the writer born in Surrey, England, in April 1957 and who attended Cambridge University.
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Hornby’s fiction is known to be a thorough navigation of male crises, weaknesses, and even obsessions. His 1998 novel “About a Boy” zeroes in on the growing relationship between a 30-something man and a 12-year-old boy, while “How to Be Good” is an exploration of marriage, parenthood, and contemporary morals that affect these two central themes. His early works are marked by 30-something male characters who struggle with emotional maturity and move about with uncertainty in their careers and personal lives.
It’s interesting to note that his characters are often semi-autobiographical, and sans harsh judgment or condemnation of the careless decisions they often make. His later novels such as “Juliet, Naked” in 2009 and “Funny Girl” in 2014, however, offer more insight into female characters while they continue to highlight men’s search of strong emotional connections.
Hornby’s empathy for these celebrated characters (which mostly enjoy both critical acclaim and public popularity) extends to what he does in his personal life. When not writing, he is involved in the London organization TreeHouse School for children with autism, which he helped establish in support of his eldest son, as well as a writing mentoring program for the youth.
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John Eilermann from St. Louis, Missouri, is currently in college pursuing a degree in Comparative Literature. Growing up, he read books by Nick Hornby, Roald Dahl, C.S Lewis, and many others. Read more articles like this here.
