At first the premise seems a bit stretched: a comparison of two men who were cultural superstars within their own time, and who each produced massive amounts of work over the span of short lives. Must happen quite a bit with celebrities, right? According to Hornby, Prince and Charles Dickens are exceptions, and he thoroughly convinced me.

I love Dickens, but was never (and still am not) a Prince fan. Still, I enjoyed details that were unfamiliar to me about each of these men, and they lead me to listen to some songs that were new to me and to add books to my reading list.

Both of these artists put out product at an incredibly rapid clip, were messy and imperfect in their process, yet somehow much of their output seems perfect. In a fascinating analysis, Hornby contrasts their way of working with less prolific, more exacting creators like Harper Lee and explores what it says about genius. He also emphasizes that in the end it is hard, hard work that drives genius to celebrity.