“And what would happen if we never read the classics? There comes a point in life, it seems to me, where you have to decide whether you're a Person of Letters or merely someone who loves books, and I'm beginning to see that the book lovers have more fun.”

British novelist and essayist, 1957–present. He blends sharp social observation with humor in works like *Fever Pitch*, a memoir about football fandom, and *High Fidelity*, a novel exploring music, relationships, and regret. His writing often captures the mundane and the emotional with wit and honesty.