Dickensblog

The sad tale of the Dickens turkey

According to a recently rediscovered letter from the author, the 30-pound turkey Dickens was to have had for his last Christmas dinner met with a very unfortunate accident.

An angry 'Carol'

I shared some thoughts on the BBC/FX A Christmas Carol over at Christ and Pop Culture.

God bless us, every one!

Merry Christmas, fellow Dickensians!

Meet Tiny Tim(s)

Jai Srinivasan and Sebestian Ortiz share a friendship, a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, and the role of Tiny Tim on Broadway. "NBC Nightly News" recently interviewed these two talented boys and their families. (The report is in two parts; the second part should start automatically after the first finishes.)

Charles Dickens, foodie

Columnist Rich Barlow argues that Dickens was "the greatest Christmas food writer of them all."

The story behind the 'Carol'

"With Christmas approaching, Dickens wrote the book — some 30,000 words — in a matter of weeks. Off the page, his publishers played the role of Scrooge, showing little interest in the idea, so Dickens hired his own artists and editors and took care of the printing.

"His publishers weren’t totally wrong. Back then, Christmas wasn’t that big of a deal. But Dickens saw what they didn’t see: an opportunity to elevate Christmas as a symbol of hope and renewal, which would hopefully renew him, too."

--Michael S. Rosenwald, "The wrenching reason Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol,'" The Washington Post, December 21, 2019

FX 'A Christmas Carol' open thread

The newest version of the story is about to go on air, at 7:30 Eastern. Feel free to use the comment section below to share your impressions! Additionally, I'll be livetweeting at @ginadalfonzo, so if you're on Twitter, you can engage with me and other viewers there. The show's hashtag is #FXMasCarol. 

Early looks at BBC/FX 'Christmas Carol'

According to the Daily Mail and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, we're in for quite the grim ride.

Dolly Parton's 'Christmas Carol'

Legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton has given Dickens's story an Appalachian Twist in her new musical, Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which is currently running at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theater. Billboard interviewed Parton about why she chose this story to adapt and why she found it so relatable. 

'Little Dorrit' group read

I'm a bit late with this announcement, but better late than never! Edward Pettit, who runs the Facebook page Reading Charles Dickens, has started a group read of Little Dorrit, reading it in the original monthly installments until June 2021, and you can still join in. Just e-mail him at [email protected] to receive the first PDF installment! (Remember, if you've already read it, no spoilers are allowed!)