Dickensblog

I'm sure he'd appreciate it

An art student made this project to help explain the Kindle to Charles Dickens.

Words on Walls

In Napier, New Zealand, the city council is planning a "Words on Walls" project in which the words of Dickens and other great authors will be painted on city buildings.

That's going to be some wordy graffiti!

Dickens vs. Austen: The duel

Read all about it -- and sign up to participate -- here!

7 Quick Takes Friday

• Lee Jackson of the blog The Cat's Meat Shop has a short piece by Dickens's son Alfred about the real-life crossing sweep who was probably "the original of poor Joe [sic] in 'Bleak House.'" The piece is an excerpt from an article that originally ran in Nash's.  
• Jackson has also created a map of "the many flats, houses, farms and blacking factories in which Charles Dickens lived, worked and played."
• Here's an interview with Tanika Gupta, writer of the adaptation of Great Expectations set in India. The play is currently touring Britain.
• Remember that letter opener that Dickens had made out of his dead cat's paw? . . . Yeah, I was trying to forget that too. But it's one of the objects that will be part of an overnight scavenger hunt in the New York Public Library next month. Go here for information on how to participate.
• Celebrated author Salman Rushdie opened a recent lecture at Duke University with a tribute to Dickens.
• Jonesing for some Dickensian screencaps? LiveJournal user chrs_vg has a "Project Charles Dickens" that includes downloadable caps from 13 different miniseries. Go here to check out the selection!
• And finally . . . we've seen "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" used in many different ways, but I don't think we've ever seen or heard it used quite like this.
  
  

BIG casting news! Maybe.

It's not definite, but we MAY have our Pip and Miss Havisham for the big-screen Great Expectations. Two actors are currently in talks for the roles. And they are . . .

Casting news -- just not the casting news we were expecting

I've been waiting and waiting to hear who's been cast in the two new Great Expectations adaptations and the Edwin Drood adaptation. Alas, no news on any of those fronts. But I do have a bit of Dickens-related casting news to share: Hugh Laurie will star in the film version of Mr. Pip, Lloyd Jones's 2006 novel about a teacher who instills a love of Great Expectations in his students.

I'm psyched to hear this. I'm very fond of Hugh Laurie, but House has been so terrible lately that I don't think I'll be watching it anymore. It'll be nice to see him in something different.

And now I really need to read Mr. Pip!

'Oliver!' may tour the U.K.

An official announcement is expected next week. More info here.

One more for the book pile

Actor, writer, and Dickensian Simon Callow is writing a book about Dickens and the theater. It will be published in the bicentennial year.

Two 'Little Dorrit' videos

These have been around for a while, according to the dates given on YouTube, but I'm pretty sure I haven't posted either of them before. The first is by owcalp and the second by faerie4. Enjoy!

Why we need Dickens

I recently read an excellent article titled, in part, "Why We Need Jane Austen." Go read it, and then tell me: If you were going to write a companion piece on "Why We Need Charles Dickens," what reasons would you give?