Dickens and Prince

A Particular Kind of Genius

By: Nick Hornby

Narrated by: Alex Jennings

Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

“An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to re-read Great Expectations while listening to Sign o’ the Times.”—Vogue

From the bestselling author of Just Like You, High Fidelity, and Fever Pitch, a short, warm, and entertaining book about art, creativity, and the unlikely similarities between Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and modern American rock star Prince

Every so often, a pairing comes along that seems completely unlikely—until it’s not. Peanut butter and jelly, Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un, ducks and puppies, and now: Dickens and Prince.

Equipped with a fan’s admiration and his trademark humor and wit, Nick Hornby invites us into his latest obsession: the cosmic link between two unlikely artists, geniuses in their own rights, spanning race, class, and centuries—each of whom electrified their different disciplines and whose legacy resounded far beyond their own time.

When Prince’s 1987 record Sign o’ the Times was rereleased in 2020, the iconic album now came with dozens of songs that weren’t on the original—Prince was endlessly prolific, recording 102 songs in 1986 alone. In awe, Hornby began to wonder, Who else ever produced this much? Who else ever worked that way? He soon found his answer in Victorian novelist and social critic Charles Dickens, who died more than a hundred years before Prince began making music.

Examining the two artists’ personal tragedies, social statuses, boundless productivity, and other parallels, both humorous and haunting, Hornby shows how these two unlikely men from different centuries “lit up the world.” In the process, he creates a lively, stimulating rumination on the creativity, flamboyance, discipline, and soul it takes to produce great art.

©2022 Nick Hornby (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Smart, witty and weirdly convincing… Pop culture is political to Hornby. Beneath this latest book’s stocking-filler-light surface, you can sense a subtle sort of crusade. By pairing these two artists, he’s making a couple of implicit assertions — that Prince is as important as Dickens and that Dickens is as fun as Prince.” —The Times (London)

“His book is both a love letter to two artists who have nourished him and the story of how they 'caught fire and lit up the world." —The Guardian

“Hornby’s admiration for his subjects is infectious… a zesty tribute to two cultural legends not often spoken about in the same breath.” —Publishers Weekly

Interesting point of view.

Am interesting point of view and well done. I could have done without the lengthy list which he seems to go on and on with throughout but, still a very enjoyable listen.

"This may have been written for you and only you!"

My beloved (adult) child said the above to me, but I think others should read this, it's full of fascinating information not just what Dickens and Prince but about how we understand genius and talent in general!

Great short book!

Really enjoyed this quick listen! If you like Nick Hornby, Prince, and Dickens or any one of them you’ll most likely enjoy this book.

Who Would Have Thought They Had So Much in Common

I loved this book, not because I am a fan of Dickens and Prince, but because Nick Hornby's writing engaged and entertained me as he explored the similarities between the two artistic greats. The arguments he made comparing the two made perfect sense. It is also great hearing him narrate in his voice as he makes his case. I highly recommend this, and to start reading Dickens and listening to Prince.

A+

Great compare and contrast essay. succeeds at making a comparison of two seemingly disparate geniuses and their places in popular culture during their lifetimes and now.

Great book, wish it was longer

Really enjoyed the parallels brought forward in the book, but it was pretty short. Felt like it was just getting going when it ended.

Perfect from beginning to end

Rarely has such a short read shared so much. Fun, smart, insightful and a great performance with nuance.