Hornby, Nick

Nick Hornby is an English writer and he published his third novel, About a Boy, in 1998. His career as a full-time writer began in 1992, when he published an autobiographical story, Fever Pitch. Since then he has published five other novels, along with several short stories, and articles on popular culture. Fever Pitch, About a Boy and his second novel, High Fidelity, have all been made into successful films. Before his success as a full-time writer he worked as an English teacher in Cambridge. Hornby’s father was a successful writer and literary critic, and his mother a secretary. His father left when he was 11, and Hornby continued to live with his mother.

About a Boy is set in London in 1993/1994. The title of the book is taken from the song ‘About a Girl’ by the 1990s grunge band, Nirvana. Hornby deals with the domesticated and mundane aspects of everyday living from a male perspective. He drives the narrative forward through the themes of growth and change. Male characters are the main protagonists in the majority of Hornby’s novels. They are men who are still clinging to their adolescent youth, failing to move on or grow up. As in many of his novels, Hornby creates a piece of writing that is funny and entertaining, yet gives voice to serious issues such as single parenting, bullying and suicide. He facilitates these issues by using humour, weaving them through the dialogue to keep the narrative playful and the mood optimistic.

Photo credits: Nick Hornby signing books at Central Library, Seattle, Washington by Joe Mabel
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