Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius
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- Create Date：2022-12-13 06:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Nick Hornby
- ISBN：0241585252
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Summary
The essential gift for lovers of Prince， of Dickens and everyone in between！
In Nick Hornby's completely joyous and original new book two great figures share the stage。 Charles Dickens and Prince。 Two wildly different artists who caught fire and lit up the world in ways no others could。 Where did their magic come from？ How did they work so hard and produce so much？ How did they manage or give in to the restlessness and intensity of their creativity？ How did they use it， and did it kill them？
With wit， curiosity and deep admiration Nick Hornby traces their extraordinary lives - from their difficult beginnings to the women they fell for to their limitless energy for work， to their money and the movies - and brilliantly illuminates their very particular kind of genius。
'I love this。 It's smart and funny and elegantly persuasive' Robert Douglas-Fairhurst， author of Becoming Dickens
In Nick Hornby's completely joyous and original new book two great figures share the stage。 Charles Dickens and Prince。 Two wildly different artists who caught fire and lit up the world in ways no others could。 Where did their magic come from？ How did they work so hard and produce so much？ How did they manage or give in to the restlessness and intensity of their creativity？ How did they use it， and did it kill them？
With wit， curiosity and deep admiration Nick Hornby traces their extraordinary lives - from their difficult beginnings to the women they fell for to their limitless energy for work， to their money and the movies - and brilliantly illuminates their very particular kind of genius。
'I love this。 It's smart and funny and elegantly persuasive' Robert Douglas-Fairhurst， author of Becoming Dickens
Reviews
Mary Lou
，
Read like a textbook。 I am unfamiliar with the intimate lives of Charles Dickens and other authors， movie stars， and musical artists quoted in this book that Nick Hornby paralleled through time。 I really wanted to like this book， but was a total hit and miss for me。
Tripp
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Hornby holds his titular characters in such high regard that he has pictures of both hanging in his office， and in this slim volume he traces the surprising， non-trivial ways in which the two geniuses are alike， from their remarkably prolific output to their exacting work habits and expectations to their battles with their respective industries， publishing and music。 A few pull quotes gives the flavor:A private education can still buy you a university place， a professorship， a job in a law firm Hornby holds his titular characters in such high regard that he has pictures of both hanging in his office， and in this slim volume he traces the surprising， non-trivial ways in which the two geniuses are alike， from their remarkably prolific output to their exacting work habits and expectations to their battles with their respective industries， publishing and music。 A few pull quotes gives the flavor:A private education can still buy you a university place， a professorship， a job in a law firm or a bank， a seat on the board of a major company， or a political career。 One thing it apparently cannot buy you is superstardom in the field of the popular arts， which is only one reason among many that I love the popular arts。 You could spend the rest of your cultural life watching， reading， and listening to people who grew up without access to much， and that cultural life would be rich and full--certainly much richer and fuller than that of someone who， for whatever reason， only wanted to consume stuff produced by those born into prosperous families。 （21） Prince is as good a drummer， keyboard player， and bassist has just about anyone he would ever employ， and a superlative guitarist。 His is the only name in the credits of For You， the first album。 All tracks were written， produced， sung， and played by him， and him alone--every song， every instrument， every backing vocal。 He was twenty years old。 （25） In the song "I Would Die 4 U，" which， we should remind ourselves， came out in 1984， Prince says he is neither a woman nor a man。 He was only half right when he went on to tell us that we would never understand。 Most of us didn't understand back then。 But it turned out that Prince's sexuality came from the future and we finally got there。。。。 Young people are explaining it to us， and it's deeply interesting。 Of course course gender is nonbinary， a spectrum not two poles。 We have known it all along， sort of， because throughout history there have been cultures and individuals who have exemplified nonbinary ways of doing things。 （126） And finally， this gem from Hornby's research into Dickens's life: novelist G。 K。 Chesterton's analysis of the role played by Dickens's incredible， nocturnal walks through London:Herein is the whole secret of that eerie realism with which Dickens could always vitalize some dark or dull corner of London。 There are details in the Dickens descriptions--a window， or a railing， or the keyhole of a door--which he endows with demoniac life。 The things seem more actual than things really are。 Indeed， that degree of realism does not exist in reality: it is the unbearable realism of a dream。 That kind of realism can only be gained by walking dreamily in a place; it cannot be gained by walking observantly。 （148） Especially recommended for all those who， like me， love the work of these two men。 。。。more
Chris
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A book about Charles Dickens and Prince， written by Nick Hornby？！ I don't read a lot of nonfiction but this one went straight to the top of my to-read list。 I like all three of these men and have always been in awe of Prince's talent and fascinated with Dickens' life。 Nick Hornby's comparison feels strangely right and he approaches it in just the right way。 He doesn't manufacture similarities between the two and， in fact， points out their differences。 But there's no doubt that Dickens and Prince A book about Charles Dickens and Prince， written by Nick Hornby？！ I don't read a lot of nonfiction but this one went straight to the top of my to-read list。 I like all three of these men and have always been in awe of Prince's talent and fascinated with Dickens' life。 Nick Hornby's comparison feels strangely right and he approaches it in just the right way。 He doesn't manufacture similarities between the two and， in fact， points out their differences。 But there's no doubt that Dickens and Prince each possessed the kind of prolific creative ability that isn't found in many artists and Hornby's admiration of each， in spite of their flaws， shines through this very readable tribute to their particular kind of genius。 。。。more
Suneet Bhatt
，
Prince always gets 5 stars。That said this should have been a blog post with the last 5 pages fully intact。 Whatever。Prince always gets 5 stars。 Whether we’re in purple rain or under the cherry moon。
Dan
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excellently short， i like the comparison sub-genre and they were indeed two amazing creators （naturally not easy spouses）。 NH has a chatty style which feels both sincere and for me sometimes irritating。 unsure if there is anything new about either in this book， but glad to have had the chance to marvel again at both dynamos。
Amanda Morgan
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2。5 stars
Doug
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An audiobook listen on our Asheville trip。 It’s more of a long essay。 Not a big fan of Prince and certainly not Dickens。 At least I’ve digested a lot of Prince output Coincidentally I’m in the middle of Demon Copperhead， which I discovered on the trip parallels David Copperfield。 Some information about both artists that was informative。 May try anDickens again soon
Russ Morey
，
Nick Hornby surprised me with this unprecedented connection between two unlikely artists！ The title alone caught my attention。 I asked myself， “How is it possible that an author of classical literature can even be compared to a modern day music icon？！”Nick Hornby answered that question and so many more that I never thought to ask。 You do not have to be a fan of Charles Dickens or Prince to truly appreciate this book。
Pamela
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A very thin premise which is barely sustained but I still managed to learn some interesting things about Dickens and Prince。。。 especially since I didn't know a thing about Prince。 A clever pairing and an interesting way to look at Genius。 A very thin premise which is barely sustained but I still managed to learn some interesting things about Dickens and Prince。。。 especially since I didn't know a thing about Prince。 A clever pairing and an interesting way to look at Genius。 。。。more
Ruth Glen
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3。5 the last 2 chapters were my favorites。
Ginger
，
I’ve long since said Dickens is my literary boyfriend and Nick Hornby is my literary crush。 So to see Hornby write a book ABOUT Dickens， I couldn’t snatch this off the shelves fast enough。I couldn’t see what in the world Dickens had to do with Prince， but then again I’m not entirely positive I’ve ever even listened to a Prince song， having been just a bit too young and therefore missing his popularity， but firmly existing during the years he and his “artist formerly known as” was a punchline。But I’ve long since said Dickens is my literary boyfriend and Nick Hornby is my literary crush。 So to see Hornby write a book ABOUT Dickens， I couldn’t snatch this off the shelves fast enough。I couldn’t see what in the world Dickens had to do with Prince， but then again I’m not entirely positive I’ve ever even listened to a Prince song， having been just a bit too young and therefore missing his popularity， but firmly existing during the years he and his “artist formerly known as” was a punchline。But I’ll read anything Hornby writes， even when I don’t care a lick about soccer or music。 He’s up there with John McPhee or Studs Terkel in that they can just write about absolutely anything and make it interesting。My only charge is this was too short。 He only just started to get into the good bits in the ending chapter （after shows？ twelve volumes of letters？ meeting the Queen？ Tell us more！） but I can rest in a robust bibliography and the conclusion that both Dickens and Prince make Hornby want to write “more， more， more。” 。。。more
Lani
，
Very intriguing concept， the title alone grabbed my attention。 There is Dickens， there is Prince and there is Hornby。 It's more of a combo of all three of these men because Hornby throws a lot of himself into this， not that it's a bad thing。 Overall this was entertaining and quick。 I could have read longer had he went on。 Very intriguing concept， the title alone grabbed my attention。 There is Dickens， there is Prince and there is Hornby。 It's more of a combo of all three of these men because Hornby throws a lot of himself into this， not that it's a bad thing。 Overall this was entertaining and quick。 I could have read longer had he went on。 。。。more
Jason McKinney
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I have been a Hornby fan since the beginning of his career when he released Fever Pitch but had forgotten how adept he is at analyzing pop culture。 When I first heard about Dickens and Prince， I was very， very skeptical because even though I like Dickens and Prince （I'm more well-versed in the former than the latter）， I wasn't convinced about the idea of putting the two together。 Well， if anyone could compare and contrast two such disparate figures， it's Hornby and this serves as a great reminde I have been a Hornby fan since the beginning of his career when he released Fever Pitch but had forgotten how adept he is at analyzing pop culture。 When I first heard about Dickens and Prince， I was very， very skeptical because even though I like Dickens and Prince （I'm more well-versed in the former than the latter）， I wasn't convinced about the idea of putting the two together。 Well， if anyone could compare and contrast two such disparate figures， it's Hornby and this serves as a great reminder of what a talented pop culture expert he is。 He reveals minutiae and insight about their childhoods， their prodigious and prolific outpouring of art （they both were anti-perfectionists and created so much material because of this）， the women in their lives， and their deaths。 One amazing tidbit about Prince is that there is so much material in his vault that there could be two albums released a year for the next several hundred years。 Dickens didn't release quite that much but he did create his fair share and has become such a fixture in our culture that not only do people continue to read his novels but they are still made into films and television shows （unsurprisingly） and also video games and theatrical adaptations。 He was forced to write because he needed the money to support his wife and their 10 children， in addition to a mistress。 I knew he was the pioneer for the serialization of the novel but what I wasn't aware of is that he was able to write and serialize two novels concurrently。 When he started writing The Old Curiosity Shop， he had no plan and no idea where it would go but needed the money so badly that he had to just go with it。 He was also able to write 2-3 novels in the space of time that it takes most writers to write and publish one。 Hornby may not be able to do that but he still accomplishes an impressive， entertaining amount here in less than 200 pages。 。。。more
Lee Ann
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I love Nick Hornby and all of his books。 This is more of an essay， about 150 pages in length。 Interestingly， before reading the book， I attended an interview via Facebook Live courtesy of Club Book。 While Hornby does， in the beginning of the book， talk about the genesis for this comparison between artists， the interview added to that。I did like this passage where Hornby talked about how he discovered reading and how that's not necessarily happening today。 "I would not be a reader without the exc I love Nick Hornby and all of his books。 This is more of an essay， about 150 pages in length。 Interestingly， before reading the book， I attended an interview via Facebook Live courtesy of Club Book。 While Hornby does， in the beginning of the book， talk about the genesis for this comparison between artists， the interview added to that。I did like this passage where Hornby talked about how he discovered reading and how that's not necessarily happening today。 "I would not be a reader without the excruciating， never-ending， no-football-on-TV， shops-closed boredom that drove me toward the local library and， later， bookshops。。。 My younger sons， both born in the twenty-first century， have never found themselves in the kind of stupor that would cause them to look upon literature as an escape， and though this is a cause for regret， I am also happy for them。 Part of me wishes that I hadn't been bored enough to spend half my life with my head stuck， in a book。"I would say the same thing is true about music， thanks to the demise of the record store。 。。。more
Mark Schiffer
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Breezy and informative， haven't read much of Hornby's nonfic before but this definitely inspired me to do so。 Breezy and informative， haven't read much of Hornby's nonfic before but this definitely inspired me to do so。 。。。more
Mark Merz
，
This is light reading for sure--something like an extended magazine article。 The premise--that we can learn something about both Prince and Charles Dickens by considering them together--is thin。 The best thing about the book is the front cover， since it displays a title that invites a graphic that combines instantly recognizable visual branding from both prodigious geniuses。That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it。 I did。 It was light， quick， and fun。 This is light reading for sure--something like an extended magazine article。 The premise--that we can learn something about both Prince and Charles Dickens by considering them together--is thin。 The best thing about the book is the front cover， since it displays a title that invites a graphic that combines instantly recognizable visual branding from both prodigious geniuses。That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it。 I did。 It was light， quick， and fun。 。。。more
Kristine Mazza
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Clever little book。 Well done and interesting。 Humorous and somewhat thought provoking。As a huge Prince fan nothing surprising to me although I loved both the admiration and respect while also being truthful。Learned more about Dickens then I probably need to know。 As it was so well written I didn't even skip the Dickens part，truly fun interesting book Clever little book。 Well done and interesting。 Humorous and somewhat thought provoking。As a huge Prince fan nothing surprising to me although I loved both the admiration and respect while also being truthful。Learned more about Dickens then I probably need to know。 As it was so well written I didn't even skip the Dickens part，truly fun interesting book 。。。more
Susanne （Pages of Crime）
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An interesting and personal look by Hornby at two very prolific artists and how their work has influenced him as an author。
Susan
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I don't know why this book needs to exist。 I don't know why this book needs to exist。 。。。more
Deb
，
4。5
Chase B
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A really fun and interesting book about the genius and work of Prince and Charles Dickens。 Quick read and I definitely enjoyed Hornby’s writing style。 Informative and a fun look back on their work and lives。 However， this would have been more enjoyable had I read more Dickens than just “A Christmas Carol。”
Simon Sweetman
，
Smart wee essay book about the weight of genius， the power of creativity， and the towering influence of two disparate creative monster forces。 Loved this。
India
，
this feels like a book i’d try to bs my way through in an english class。 do i buy the premise？ honestly， no。 did i learn about dickens and prince？ sure， yeah。 i’m gonna go listen to kiss now
Judith Squires
，
Basically， this book is an essay， comparing the careers of Charles Dickens and Prince。 I was never a huge fan of Prince， but I am fascinated with the life of Dickens， particularly after reading Peter Ackroyd's great biography a few years back。 I found some of Hornby's comparisons interesting and some rather far-fetched。 It does seem that both of these men were workaholics， given to health problems and even though they had romantic partners， to be fundamentally alone and sad。 I did find the chapt Basically， this book is an essay， comparing the careers of Charles Dickens and Prince。 I was never a huge fan of Prince， but I am fascinated with the life of Dickens， particularly after reading Peter Ackroyd's great biography a few years back。 I found some of Hornby's comparisons interesting and some rather far-fetched。 It does seem that both of these men were workaholics， given to health problems and even though they had romantic partners， to be fundamentally alone and sad。 I did find the chapter on Dickens and his very likely severe sleep disorder （before such a thing was diagnosed） to be very interesting。 Could it be he was sleepwalking through London？ 。。。more
Rodrigo
，
It was fun to read the comparisons and learn more about each artist's life。 It was fun to read the comparisons and learn more about each artist's life。 。。。more
EVAN
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I have been a Nick Hornby fan for years （"Fever Pitch" may be the best book about sports fandom I've ever read） and this book didn't disappoint。Hornby has taken two seemingly disparate artists， Charles Dickens and Prince， and seamlessly woven together their lives and bodies of work。 It's unsurprising as so much of his fiction and non-fiction is about music （e。g。， "High Fidelity" and "Juliet Naked"） and literature but yet this was the first to take such a deep dive into two artists。 The book is t I have been a Nick Hornby fan for years （"Fever Pitch" may be the best book about sports fandom I've ever read） and this book didn't disappoint。Hornby has taken two seemingly disparate artists， Charles Dickens and Prince， and seamlessly woven together their lives and bodies of work。 It's unsurprising as so much of his fiction and non-fiction is about music （e。g。， "High Fidelity" and "Juliet Naked"） and literature but yet this was the first to take such a deep dive into two artists。 The book is the perfect length。 Anything longer would have been too much and shorter not complete。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
A short and enjoyable look at the work and lives of Dickens and Prince。 It was apparently a funny book。 I didn't get most of the jokes。 The few jokes I did understand didn't make me laugh or strike me as funny。 I think I'd have enjoyed this book more if I'd ever listened to a single song by Prince and or read biographies on Dickens and Prince。 A short and enjoyable look at the work and lives of Dickens and Prince。 It was apparently a funny book。 I didn't get most of the jokes。 The few jokes I did understand didn't make me laugh or strike me as funny。 I think I'd have enjoyed this book more if I'd ever listened to a single song by Prince and or read biographies on Dickens and Prince。 。。。more
Stephanie Caffrey
，
It was okay。 I found the facts about Dickens and Prince interesting enough， but really didn't buy the connection between the two。 It was okay。 I found the facts about Dickens and Prince interesting enough， but really didn't buy the connection between the two。 。。。more
Scott
，
I love reading Nick Hornby， he's so funny and interesting。 I've read his column in The Believer - the only reason I subscribed， really - and am quite familiar with his love of Dickens， and his love of music in general。 Though I'm not a Dickens fan （haven't read him since high school） and not a Prince fan， I still bought and enjoyed the book， largely for Nick's insights。 This certainly is neither a biography of Dickens nor of Prince - Nick cites those in his book - but it had enough interesting d I love reading Nick Hornby， he's so funny and interesting。 I've read his column in The Believer - the only reason I subscribed， really - and am quite familiar with his love of Dickens， and his love of music in general。 Though I'm not a Dickens fan （haven't read him since high school） and not a Prince fan， I still bought and enjoyed the book， largely for Nick's insights。 This certainly is neither a biography of Dickens nor of Prince - Nick cites those in his book - but it had enough interesting detail from both without being a massive waste of a non-fan's time。 And it does make me want to read more Dickens。 I listened to a little Prince while reading， and it's still just too pop for me， I prefer musicals。 They do make me think perhaps I haven't lived up to my potential， but， as Nick says， the fire of creativity was forged in the flames of personal hardship， which I think I'm lucky to have avoided。 Those who， like me， enjoy Nick's writing will enjoy this book。 。。。more
Muromets
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