Dickensblog

Dickens the diva?

Eleven unpublished Dickens letters are on display at the Dickens Museum, and also available to view online (go here and type "archives and manuscripts" into the search engine). Among them is one in which he complains about Sunday postal service being discontinued in his village of Higham -- described by two different commentators, Pete Orford and Adela Suliman, as "diva" behavior. Was Dickens being a diva or justifiably frustrated? Read the letter and judge for yourself!

In Dickens's shadow

Writing in Crime Reads, novelist Simon Toyne graciously acknowledges his -- and every writer's -- debt to Dickens: "Just as the bones of Dickens’ London are still visible beneath the flesh of the modern city as you walk through Chancery, or down Fleet Street, or through Covent Garden, or any of the stone lined lanes of the old city, so the shadow of Dickens falls across the work of any writer who dares to tread where he once trod." Read more here.

Dickens and the supernatural

Smithsonian Magazine has an article on Dickens as a "fascinated skeptic" of supernatural phenomena. It's promoting the upcoming Dickens Museum exhibit To Be Read at Dusk: Dickens, Ghosts and the Supernatural, which will open in October.

Dickens the magician

You may know that Dickens was a skilled amateur magician, but do you know what some of his favorite magic tricks were? Literary Hub has the scoop!

Dickens in the 'New York Times'

Robert Fairhurst-Douglas's new book on Dickens, recently reviewed in The New Yorker, today was reviewed in the New York Times. 

Dickens in 1851

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst's new book The Turning Point: 1851 -- A Year That Changed Charles Dickens and the World has just had its U.S. release. Literary Hub has an excerpt, and The New Yorker has a lengthy and thoughtful review (with one or two incorrect details) by Louis Menand. 

Dickens code cracked!

Diligent decoders have finally solved the mystery of Dickens's "Tavistock letter," which turned out to be about ... advertising. Apologies to all who were hoping for something more exciting! BBC News has the story of how the code was cracked and who earned the reward for cracking it. 

It was the best of staches, it was the worst of staches

Check out this rare photo of Dickens trying out the mustachioed look in the 1850s, which recently went on display at the Dickens Museum!

Jewish perspectives on 'A Christmas Carol'

Seth Rogovoy at Forward offers an intriguing survey of different Jewish interpretations of Dickens's story. 

Touched by an angel

Could Dickens have had some angelic pushback on his Carol? James Cary's witty article in the Church Times speculates on the possibility!