Dickensblog

Upcoming online talks

Tomorrow, April 27, Dr. Emily Dunbar of the Dickens Museum will give a talk on the museum's new Pickwick Papers exhibition at 10 a.m. Eastern. Go here to learn more and get a free ticket!

Also tomorrow, at 1 p.m. Eastern, the Dickens Fellowship will sponsor Lucinda Dickens Hawksley talking about her new book, Dickens and Travel. Go here for information.

From the book pile

• Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe (Albert Whitman & Company, 2021).
  
  The heroine of this children's picture book is Eliza Davis, the Jewish woman who famously confronted Charles Dickens over his portrayal of Fagin in Oliver Twist. Author Nancy Churnin tells Davis's story simply but with sensitivity and insight. She explains how the anti-Semitic descriptions of the character hurt Davis all the more because they were coming from a great author that she loved, and how this spurred her to take action. And she helps young readers understand how this story might apply to their lives: "Think of someone famous you admire. What would you do if that person said or wrote something unfair? Would you speak up? Would you risk getting that person angry?" 
  
  Churnin's portrayal of Dickens is unflinchingly honest, showing that his reaction to Davis initially was sharp and defensive. But the book also shows how, as Davis kept up the pressure on him, he came to understand and appreciate her point of view and changed his work accordingly. It makes the point that the two of them had a genuine concern for the needy in common, and that it was Davis's challenging him to live up to his own high standards that made the difference.
  
  I learned a lot from this book I didn't know (I hadn't realized that there had been more than one exchange of letters between Davis and Dickens), not just from the story itself, but also from the comprehensive Author's Note at the back. This children's book is the fullest and best account of the incident I've ever seen, enhanced by Bethany Stancliffe's lively and touching illustrations, and I recommend it highly. 

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 and Staplehurst': A review

By Art Kilmer, Guest Blogger

On June 9, 1865, author Charles Dickens almost died. Pick up any biography of Dickens, and you will find at least a couple of pages about the Staplehurst Rail Crash. On that day, Dickens; his mistress, Ellen Ternan; and her mother were traveling by rail from Boulogne to London, when the train derailed at Staplehurst, Kent. Due to a miscommunication and negligence, the train plunged over a bridge that was only half finished. Ten people died that day, and many others were physically and, as in Dickens’ case, mentally impacted for the rest of their lives. For Charles, that would be another five years to the day.

Actor and author Gerald Dickens, Charles’ great-great-grandson, has made an effort to shed more light on this event. In his new book, Dickens and Staplehurst: A Biography of a Rail Crash, Gerald attempts to give full details of the event. Not only does he explain what happened to Dickens on that tragic day, but we also learn about the ten victims, some of the survivors, and the railroad employees who were involved with the crash.

As Gerald says of his book: “At its heart this is a story of a single moment in time: a biography of a day.” 

Gerald Dickens on the Staplehurst train crash

Gerald Dickens is joining the family novel-writing business! He's working on a novel about the train crash that nearly killed his great-great-grandfather, and will be giving a talk about it on June 9, the anniversary of the crash, at Revelation Ashford in Kent. More information is here, and tickets for the talk are available here.

A tale of four podcasts

I've recently been a guest on various podcasts to talk about Dickens! Here are some links:  

• The Christian Humanist with Michial Farmer (talking about The Gospel in Dickens)
• The Sectarian Review with Danny Anderson (talking about The Gospel in Dickens)
• The Great Books with John J. Miller (talking about A Tale of Two Cities)
• A Cozy Christmas with Art Kilmer, longtime Dickensblog reader and Facebook group member (talking about A Christmas Carol)

And don't miss Art's subsequent episode, where he continued the A Christmas Carol discussion, this time with Gerald Dickens!

In related news, I was on the radio show Chris Fabry Live today to discuss The Gospel in Dickens. I believe that episode will be archived online soon, so I'll post a link if and when it is.

'Keeping Christmas': A review

Keeping Christmas: 25 Advent Reflections on A Christmas Carol, by Allison Pittman (Baker Books, 2020)

Allison Pittman, author of The Seamstress, now has written a delightful spiritual guide to A Christmas Carol. In 25 short but thoughtful (and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny) chapters, she explores the story through the eyes of faith, bringing our deeper meanings and truths. Her ideas on the true identity of the three Spirits are fascinating, and her pinpointing of the real moment of Scrooge's conversion is as intriguing in a literary sense as it is theologically. While written to appeal primarily to Christians, then, Keeping Christmas should be of interest to anyone who loves Dickens's ghostly little book and enjoys revisiting it. 

Happy book birthday to 'The Gospel in Dickens'!

At long last, my Dickens book is out in the world! I hope many of you will enjoy it (and leave me some Amazon reviews, if you'd be so kind! :-) ). 

We had a great virtual launch party tonight, courtesy of Plough, my publisher. If you were unable to watch at the time, you can go to this link to watch at your leisure.

Keeping up with 'The Gospel in Dickens'

If you'll indulge me in some more book promoting (this is how it is when there's an author in your life! :-) ):

• Here's a lovely writeup of The Gospel in Dickens by Byron Borger of Hearts & Minds Bookstore, who will host the book's launch event on September 22. If you pre-order the book from Byron now, you can get 20 percent off. (Note: The Hearts & Minds site works a little differently from most; you order a book by typing the title and author into the space provided. But it's quite easy to do, and I can testify that the customer service is great.) 
  
  Also, five free autographed copies of the book will be given away at that event! If you sign up to attend, you'll be automatically entered in the drawing, and the winners will be announced during the event.
  
  
• I spoke with Betsy Farquhar at Redeemed Reader about the new book (along with my other new book, Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis).