tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470094.post114504888513979613..comments2024-03-18T16:55:31.971+00:00Comments on This Space: Draught fictionStephen Mitchelmorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01658772259307446873noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470094.post-1145283747680786982006-04-17T15:22:00.000+01:002006-04-17T15:22:00.000+01:00Tim Lott made the same point in the Evening Standa...Tim Lott made the same point in the <I>Evening Standard</I> when Hornby was nominated for the Whitbread and it baffled me then.<BR/><BR/>Hornby is, alongside Zadie Smith, the annointed UK author of the McSweeneys set. If that's not kudos-worthy among the literati then I don't know what is.<BR/><BR/>I think all these points about Nick Hornby's lack of perceived esteem among the literati remains woefully ignorant of one salient point. He just isn't any good, laddish bookbuyers notwithstanding.Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14609417868890088440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470094.post-1145185550823848112006-04-16T12:05:00.000+01:002006-04-16T12:05:00.000+01:00I'm amazed that the "is Nick Hornby literature" qu...I'm amazed that the "is Nick Hornby literature" question has come back. Julie Burchill used to bring it up all the time, and presumably Bel Mooney's similarly defensive. Basically, Hornby's a good, but limited writer, with a sure populist touch, who does what he does very well, but nothing more, and from interviews I've read with him. he, at least, seems perfectly happy with that status. "High Fidelity" is a far better novel about music than Rushdie's "The Ground Beneath her Feet", (and for that matter DeLillo's "Great Jones Street").Adrian Slatcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13946068316432524571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470094.post-1145077249637748462006-04-15T06:00:00.000+01:002006-04-15T06:00:00.000+01:00"Popular" denotes something about units shifted, t..."Popular" denotes something about units shifted, the value of an author's brand identity, and the emotional connection that readers feel for his/her work.<BR/><BR/>However, the connotations are far more interesting, especially when we move beyond the potboilers (Grisham, Brown) and into what might be called pop-lit (or maybe lit-lite). Hornby, Parsons, de Bernieres, Iain Banks, le Carre, Arnott. "Might get longlisted for the Booker, but never further" is probably the most accurate. "Will sell film rights before publication" is also good. "Has a chip on his shoulder about authors who sell fewer books, but are perceived to be 'better'" is also pretty close.Tim Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14681067872556519250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470094.post-1145052932356682702006-04-14T23:15:00.000+01:002006-04-14T23:15:00.000+01:00Interesting stuff ... not much to add except that ...Interesting stuff ... not much to add except that I'm a football addict who has read Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch more than is healthy for any human beingReel Fanatichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09727636643227938924noreply@blogger.com