Hornby was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. He was brought up in Maidenhead, and educated at Maidenhead Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge, where he read English. His parents divorced when he was 11.
Hornby's first published book, 1992's Fever Pitch, is an autobiographical story detailing his fanatical support for Arsenal Football Club. As a result, Hornby received the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. In 1997, the memoir was adapted for film in the UK, and in 2005 an American remake was released, following Jimmy Fallon's character's obsession with the Boston Red Sox, a baseball team. With the book's success, Hornby began to publish articles in the Sunday Times, Time Out and the Times Literary Supplement, in addition to his music reviews for the New Yorker.
High Fidelity — his second book and first novel — was published in 1995. The novel, about a neurotic record collector and his failed relationships, was adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, and a Broadway musical in 2006.
His second 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 and Nicholas Hoult starred in the 2002 film version. In 1999, Hornby received the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Hornby's next novel, How to Be Good, was published in 2001. The female protagonist in the novel explores contemporary morals, marriage and parenthood. It won the W.H. Smith Award for Fiction in 2002.
Part of the money he earned with his next book, Speaking with the Angel in 2002, was donated to TreeHouse, a charity for children with autism, the disorder that affects Hornby's own son. He was editor of the book, which contained twelve short stories written by his friends. He also contributed to the collection with the story "NippleJesus".
In 2003, Hornby wrote a collection of essays on selected popular songs and the emotional resonance they carry, called 31 Songs (known in the US as Songbook). Also in 2003, Hornby was awarded the London Award 2003, an award that was selected by fellow writers.
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. Since 2003, he has written a book review column, "Stuff I've Been Reading", for the monthly magazine The Believer; all of these articles are collected between The Polysyllabic Spree (2004), Housekeeping vs. The Dirt (2006), Shakespeare Wrote for Money (2008), and More Baths Less Talking (2012).
Hornby's novel A Long Way Down was published in 2005, with a film version of this book set to be released in 2014. 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's book Slam was released on 16 October 2007; it is his first novel for young adults and was recognized as a 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults. The protagonist of Slam is a 16-year-old skateboarder named Sam whose life changes drastically when his girlfriend gets pregnant.
Hornby released his latest novel titled Juliet, Naked in September 2009. On the same wavelength as his first novel High Fidelity, the book is about a reclusive '80s rock star who is forced out of isolation when the re-release of his most famous album brings him into contact with some of his most passionate fans. This synopsis was revealed to The Guardian newspaper as part of "What not to miss in 2009: books".
In 2010, Hornby co-founded the Ministry of Stories, a non-profit organisation in East London dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
Hornby discussed his bouts of depression in 2012 on the BBC Radio 4 broadcast of "Fever Pitched: Twenty Years On".
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 by High Fidelity in 2000, 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. Johnny Depp purchased film rights to the book A Long Way Down before it was published.
In 2009, Hornby adapted an autobiographical memoir by the journalist Lynn Barber for the screen as An Education, a feature film starring Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan. He was nominated for an Oscar for writing the screenplay.
High Fidelity was also the basis for a 2006 eponymous musical that shifted the action to Brooklyn; its book is by David Lindsay-Abaire, with lyrics by Amanda Green and music created by Tom Kitt. The production ran for a month in Boston, then moved to Broadway, closing after 18 previews and 14 regular performances.
The importance of music in Hornby's novels, and in his life, is evidenced by his long-standing and fruitful collaborations with the rock band Marah, fronted by Dave and Serge Bielanko. Hornby has even toured in the United States and Europe with the band, joining them on stage to read his essays about particular moments and performers in his own musical history that have had a particular meaning for him.
Hornby's music criticism (most notably for The New Yorker and in his own Songbook) has been widely criticised by writers such as Kevin Dettmar (in his book Is Rock Dead), Curtis White (in an essay at www.centreforbookculture.org, titled "Kid Adorno"), Barry Faulk and Simon Reynolds for his embrace of rock traditionalism and conservative take on post-rock and other experimental musics (exemplified in Hornby's negative review of the Radiohead album Kid A).
Hornby has also had extensive collaboration with American singer/songwriter Ben Folds. Their album Lonely Avenue was released in September 2010. Folds wrote the music, with Hornby contributing lyrics. Prior to the album's release, "Picture Window", was released on Ben Folds' website. A bootleg version of a song about Levi Johnston written by Hornby and Folds and performed by Folds, appeared on the internet.
Hornby has been married twice. He and his first wife have one son, born in 1992, who has autism. Hornby's second wife is producer Amanda Posey. They have two sons, born in 2003 and 2005. Hornby's sister, writer Gill Hornby, is married to writer Robert Harris.
Nick Hornby was directly involved in the creation of the charity Ambitious about Autism, then known as TreeHouse Trust, and its school TreeHouse School, as a result of trying to find specialist education for his son Danny. Hornby remains a major donor to the charity and is still involved as a vice president.
Nick proudly supports Arsenal.
A Working Day
Nick Hornby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm as good as them, but don't take it from me
Ask my friends, ask my sister
They all think my stuff is great
Up there with any of them
I just need a break
I'm a genius, really, I'm excellent
All of them, even that guy
Who thinks he's fuckin' cool
Gets all of the attention
He doesn't sell shit does he?
Some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know
He's got his own blog
Some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know
He's got his own blog
I'm a loser
I'm a poser
Yeah really
It's over
I mean it and I quit
Everything I write is shit
I'm a loser
And a poser
It's over
It's over
I mean it and I quit
Everything I write is shit
Hey, hey
It's a working day
Hey, hey
It's a working day
Hey, hey
It's a working day
The lyrics to "A Working Day" by Nick Hornby are a commentary on the self-doubt and self-aggrandizement that come with creative endeavors. The singer vacillates between believing he is good enough and feeling like a loser and poser. He acknowledges that some people think he sucks and concludes that everything he writes is shit. These sentiments are likely relatable to many artists who struggle with imposter syndrome and the pressure to constantly produce new and valuable work.
The singer's confidence is rooted in the opinions of his friends and sister, suggesting a need for external validation. He resents other artists who receive attention despite what he perceives as inferior work. The repetition of "Hey, hey, it's a working day" at the end of the song seems to emphasize the daily grind of creation, regardless of one's perceived talent or success. Overall, the song highlights the emotional highs and lows of creative work and the difficulty of maintaining a healthy sense of self-worth.
Line by Line Meaning
I can do this, really, I'm good enough
I have the skills and talent to succeed
I'm as good as them, but don't take it from me
I'm just as talented as those who are already successful
Ask my friends, ask my sister
The people who know me well can vouch for my abilities
They all think my stuff is great
Those who know me believe in my work
Up there with any of them
My work is just as good as that of established artists
I just need a break
All I need is an opportunity to prove myself
I'm a genius, really, I'm excellent
I have a unique and amazing perspective
Better than them, I kick their asses
I'm better than other artists and they can't compete with me
All of them, even that guy
Even the most talented artists can't compare to me
Who thinks he's fuckin' cool
Other artists may have egos or be arrogant
Gets all of the attention
Some artists are more popular and commercially successful than others
He doesn't sell shit does he?
Popularity doesn't necessarily reflect quality or talent
Some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know
Not everyone appreciates my work or sees its value
He's got his own blog
Some people use online platforms to express their opinions
I'm a loser
I feel like a failure
I'm a poser
I'm pretending to be something I'm not
Yeah really
I'm being completely honest
It's over
I've given up
I mean it and I quit
I'm serious about stopping my artistic pursuits
Everything I write is shit
I don't believe in the quality of my own work
Hey, hey
An expression of enthusiasm
It's a working day
Time to focus on work
Hey, hey
An expression of enthusiasm
It's a working day
Time to focus on work
Hey, hey
An expression of enthusiasm
It's a working day
Time to focus on work
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN FOLDS, BENJAMIN SCOTT FOLDS, NICHOLAS PETER JOHN HORNBY, NICK HORNBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind