Dickens and Prince

A Particular Kind of Genius

De: Nick Hornby

Narrado por: Alex Jennings

Brought to you by Penguin.

In this joyous and illuminating book, the million-copy bestselling author brings together an unlikely pairing to explore the story of their creative genius

What could possibly connect Prince, the great twentieth century singer songwriter, and Charles Dickens, the great writer of classics usually stuffed into the hands of adolescents too early? What could these two geniuses, one born in 1812 in England, and the other in 1950s Minneapolis, have in common?

For Nick Hornby, Dickens and Prince are two artists that compare to no others. At the young age of 24, they both had their breakthroughs, Prince with '1999' and Dickens with The Pickwick Papers. At 26, Prince released 'Purple Rain' and Dickens' Oliver Twist was published, and, by 30, both artists were huge stars.

No one else had such a relentless work ethic and produced such a staggeringly original and enormous body of work. Where did their magic come from? How did they use it? And, in the end, did it kill them?

Tracing their lives, from the early years to their relationships with women, their finances to their inability to stop working, Dickens and Prince is a brilliantly surprising and joyous uncovering of the essence of a very particular and unique type of genius.

© Nick Hornby 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Reseñas de la Crítica

A joyful examination of two artists from different centuries and the unlikely parallels in their life and work

Well, here's something you didn't expect - a joint biography of Charles Dickens and the pocket-sized popster Prince. And why not? The Fever Pitch chappie explores the nature of genius and what unites the inimitable Boz and the Imp of the Perverse

I love this. It's smart and funny and elegantly persuasive (Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, author of Becoming Dickens)

From rocky beginnings to too-early endings, Hornby traces the lives of two very different artists and shows they have more in common than we might think. Dickens & Prince is a playful, illuminating book

An enjoyable and educational read that will leave fans of either figure positively enlightened

An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to reread Great Expectations whilst listening to Sign o'the Times

A winningly grounded manifesto for artists: forget the preciousness so often urged as the route to brilliance, and embrace prodigiousness instead – and don’t forget to make sure you get paid

Beneath the surface of this fascinating biography there lies a warm and wise craft book about what it takes to make great art in any century

A fascinating little book

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