“There were authors I read as an adult who completely inspired me. But when I was a teenager, I got to hang out with Tom Stoppard for a bit. My mum was his wife's secretary. He was obviously super smart, but he was also approachable and normal. I think he was the first person I'd ever met who I'd thought, 'Oh, I see. There's a living in this.'”

English writer

Nick Hornby is an English writer. He is best known for the memoir Fever Pitch and the novels High Fidelity and About a Boy, all three of which were adapted into feature films. His work often returns to music, sport, and the restless or obsessive lives of his characters. His books had sold more than 5 million copies worldwide by 2018. In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the 29th most influential person in British culture, and he received Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for An Education and Brooklyn.