Hornby, Dickens, Prince and a hunger for more
I sometimes dive into a topic—often a history, psychology, or science rabbit hole. I read nothing else for for weeks or months, until the itch is scratched and then I need a change, usually fiction, and Nick Hornby is a long-time fav. There's a long list of his novels (many of which have become popular movies) that I love, and I'm continually surprised and inspired by his column in The Believer, and so when I saw Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius I snatched it up (well, clicked the "Buy Now" button). Comparing Charles Dickens with Prince sounds absurd, but reading Hornby it becomes so obvious you think, how did I miss it?
He runs through similarities quickly:
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Superstars: Both were box-office stars and household names in their times. Dickens sold out reading tours; Prince played sold-out venues.
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Playing to the audience: Dickens’s public readings were 19th-century rock shows: stage-craft timing, crowd control, encore energy. Prince lived onstage: after an arena show he would play in local clubs and bars past closing time.
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Popular AND high art: Fan and critic favorites. Dickens's serials are now classic; Prince created with startling complexity, took wild risks and won Academy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and many other awards.
Reading the book, I encountered one surprise after another. He explores the two men's driving inspiration, their work patterns, and their stamina, which went beyond good sense. And always he notices the joy each experienced in his work.
For me, Hornby provides a reset for my brain. Of course, reading is always a window into someone else's psyche and Hornby's is expansive. It's mind boggling the range and the diversity of the novels, essays, and B-sides he devours. And then writes like an old friend you bumped into at a record shop who wants to share what he's been thinking about with you.
By the end of Dickens and Prince, I was hurrying to start Nicholas Nickleby and cue up “Sometimes It Snows in April.” And that's Hornby's own "particular kind of genius": he makes you want you to read, see, listen, and experience more, and more deeply.