Tickets for Nick Hornby’s appearance will be distributed on Sept. 19, at the West Hartford Library’s Noah Webster branch at 20 South Main Street.

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West Hartford Public Library will host best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter Nick Hornby at King Philip Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 12 for this year’s West Hartford READS! author event. His books have sold over 5 million copies, including the bestselling novels High Fidelity, About A Boy, How to Be Good, Juliet Naked, and 2020’s Just Like You.

His latest nonfiction book, Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius, is a short, warm, and entertaining reflection on art, creativity, and the unlikely similarities between Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and modern American rock star Prince. Equipped with a fan’s admiration and his trademark humor and wit, Hornby invites readers to consider the cosmic link between two artistic geniuses, each of whom electrified their different disciplines and whose legacy resounded far beyond their own time.

Other notable non-fiction titles include 31 Songs, The Complete Polysyllabic Spree, Shakespeare Wrote for Money,and Stuff I’ve Been Reading, as well as his breakout book, Fever Pitch. Hornby’s memoir about life as a maniacal Arsenal fan was adapted for the screen twice, including a 2005 remake by the Farrelly brothers for an American audience starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon.

Hornby’s bestselling novels have also served as inspiration for filmmakers in movies known for their keenly observed, emotional honesty. These include cult-classic High Fidelity and Oscar nominee About a Boy. A masterful screenwriter himself, Hornby’s screenplay credits include Oscar-nominated films An Education and Brooklyn, and Wild. Hornby is also the creator and writer of the Emmy-winning short form series State of the Union on Sundance TV.

Hornby was awarded the E. M. Forster Award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999. He lives in London.

West Hartford Public Library has a long tradition of hosting acclaimed authors, including Jonathan Franzen, Amy Bloom, Ralph Nader, Wally Lamb, Sue Miller, David Rhodes, Anne Fadiman, and Elizabeth Berg.

Hornby will be the seventh author to participate in West Hartford READS!, a town-wide initiative encouraging everyone to read the works of a notable author. Previous authors include Chimamanda Adichie, Anna Quindlen, Billy Collins, and Richard Russo.

The library will be distributing tickets for the event on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Noah Webster Library, located at 20 South Main Street. The event on Oct. 12 will include an interview, followed by a Q & A, and book signing. Books will be for sale through River Bend Bookshop. Doors open at 6 p.m.

For more information, go to www.westhartfordreads.org.

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