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9 unusual facts about Nick Hornby


Archway Tower

Toppers' House in Nick Hornby's 2005 novel A Long Way Down is said to have been indirectly inspired by Archway Tower, but also by the eponymous Archway over Archway Road.

Clissold Park

In Nick Hornby's novel Slam, the character Sam and his girlfriend Alicia often go to Clissold Park.

Gus Caesar

Arsenal fan Nick Hornby in his 1992 book Fever Pitch muses on Caesar's downfall, pointing out that Caesar had considerable talent as a youth (or else Arsenal would have never signed him in the first place).

Marce LaCouture

One of her songs, So I'll Run, features in the book 31 Songs by British author Nick Hornby, telling about songs and the particular emotional resonance they carry for him.

Mark Mulcahy

An essay on Mulcahy's song "Hey Self-Defeater" (from the album "Fathering") was featured in Nick Hornby's book 31 Songs.

Sooner or Later in Spain

Nick Hornby reading "Faces" and the band's cover of "Debris" (Dingwall's)

Suicaine Gratifaction

The piano solo in the middle of "Born for Me" is the subject of a chapter within Nick Hornby's Songbook, where its simply-played, undemonstrative character, of a piece with the song as a whole, is contrasted with virtuosic solos that use their underlying song as a jumping off point to some unrelated destination.

Vroman's Bookstore

Vroman's has hosted many author readings, including celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Margaret Cho, Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter, Courtney Love, Salman Rushdie, Anne Rice, Joan Didion, Nick Hornby, Bret Easton Ellis, Neil Gaiman, David Sedaris, Chuck Palahniuk, and President Bill Clinton.

When Saturday Comes

A number of guest writers have also written for the magazine, including Cris Freddi, Nick Hornby and Simon Kuper.


Ray Lowry

As part of the exhibition 30 creatives, including Tracey Emin, Nick Hornby, Billy Childish, Harry Hill, Paul Simonon and Humphrey Ocean, have produced reinterpretations of The Clash’s iconic London Calling album cover in aid of the Foundation.


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