Dickensblog

'Loved, revered, and honoured'

A thought for the 152nd anniversary of Charles Dickens's death:

"Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion. But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. It is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is not that the heart and pulse are still; but that the hand was open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse a man’s. Strike, Shadow, strike. And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!"

--A Christmas Carol, Stave IV

Happy 210th birthday, Charles Dickens!

All hail the Inimitable on this happy occasion! 

In honor of Dickens's birthday, the Dickens Museum is kicking off a writing competition. The writer of the winning short story or novel excerpt will receive this beautiful facsimile of the Oliver Twist manuscript. Click here to see all the details, and then put those quill pens to paper (or fingers to keys, if you prefer). It's not that easy to follow in Dickens's footsteps, but one can at least give it a try!

(Image made by yours truly!)

Flowers for Dickens

Today, on the 151st anniversary of Dickens's death, Lucinda Hawksley tweeted out pictures (here, here, and here) of the beautiful wreaths placed on her great-great-great-grandfather's grave. One is from the Dickens Fellowship, the other -- made with Dickens's favorite flower, the scarlet geranium -- from the children of Gad's Hill School. 

As John Forster wrote of Dickens's funeral, "Then, later in the day and all the following day, came unbidden mourners in such crowds, that the Dean had to request permission to keep open the grave until Thursday; but after it was closed they did not cease to come . . . . He alluded to this in the impressive funeral discourse delivered by him in the Abbey on the morning of Sunday the 19th, pointing to the fresh flowers that then had been newly thrown (as they still are thrown, in this the fourth year after his death), and saying that 'the spot would thenceforward be a sacred one with both the New World and the Old, as that of the representative of the literature, not of this island only, but of all who speak our English tongue.'"

Dickens tributes coming in

In honor of the 151st anniversary of Dickens's death on June 9, a wreath was laid on his grave today -- a day early, "so as not to clash with the Abbey's use as a temporary vaccination centre," according to the Dickens Museum. Meanwhile, a bouquet of roses was left near his home in Rochester.

Happy 209th birthday, Mr. Dickens!

Charles Dickens famously enjoyed having people over for his birthday. This year you can go visit his home virtually, via a guided tour at the Facebook page of Charles Dickens' Birthplace Museum (see more here). Additionally, this collection of images at The (Portsmouth) News takes you through photos of the author and some of the things and places related to him, as well as illustrations from some of his books. Enjoy the tours, and raise a glass to The Inimitable!

A Dickens birthday party

The Dickens Museum is hosting an online party tomorrow at 7 p.m. UK time (2 p.m. Eastern ), and all are invited! Lucinda Dickens Hawksley and Miriam Margolyes will be on hand to take questions, do readings, and talk about how Dickens celebrated his birthday. The cost is 10 pounds plus a .50 pound booking fee (about $14.50).  Register now to get the Zoom link e-mailed to you!

A crown for Scrooge

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Dickens's death, Ascension Island released a commemorative Christmas Scrooge crown, available in Cupro Nickel or Proof Sterling Silver. I would have posted about this last month, but they were out of stock. They've since restocked, but the nickel have run out again and the silver are running low, so get them while you can! More information is here.

From yesterday's commemoration

The Dickens Museum has posted a couple of videos that fans will want to see: one of an amazing light and sound installation that was projected onto Westminster Abbey for yesterday's anniversary, and another of a special greeting from members of the Dickens family.

Yesterday's virtual conference went great, and there should soon be some videos from that online as well!

On Dickens's death

"No writer of the age was more beloved than Dickens. Just as people had once clamored for the next installment of his serialized novels, they now sought new details about his life and death at 58. For months, the newspaper brimmed with stories about Dickens’s final hours, his funeral, his will, the auction of his art collection, even his estate sale, where a set of old flowerpots went for a guinea.

"On June 12, The Times followed its report of Dickens’s death with a melancholy editorial tribute to the man 'whose works are more or less associated with the events of our lives,' pointing out that 'people of middle age cannot but feel that they have "grown up," as it were, with Charles Dickens. The appearance of each successive story from his pen is linked with a thousand domestic recollections, for he was eminently the novelist of the household.'"

Tina Jordan, "When Dickens Died, America Mourned. Our Archives Tell the Story," The New York Times, June 7, 2020

(Image: The Empty Chair, painting by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes, 1870)

News roundup

On the eve of the 150th anniversary of Charles Dickens's death, a few items of interest:

• The Jersey Post is releasing a new set of eight stamps in honor of the occasion: "Created by Mark and Julie Wilkinson, the stamps have been designed to look like classic leather book covers and feature key scenes and characters from some of Dickens’ best-loved works." Here's the direct link to order.
• Country Life put together a lovely tribute to some of Dickens's greatest characters. Meanwhile, The Conversation did a "data analysis" to gain some insight on Dickens's methods of characterization.
• The Dickens Theatre Company, unable to perform their new play Dickens' Dream because of the lockdown, have put a short teaser video online (click "Continue reading" below to see it). Their hope is to perform the play later this year.

Hope to run into some of you at the virtual #Dickens150 conference tomorrow!