Dickensblog

More from the Dickens Museum

On July 3, at 2 p.m. U.K. time, Dr. Claire Wood and Professor Hugo Bowles will give a virtual talk on "Decoding Dickens: The Shorthand Mysteries," focusing on shorthand texts written by Dickens that are still being deciphered. Go here to learn more and to sign up! 

And if you're in London or plan to be there sometime in the next few months, go check out the exhibition "Faithful Companions: Charles Dickens & His Pets," which "explore[s] the stories of Dickens's own pets and some famous animals from his novels through precious objects, such as his hand-written letters, family photo albums and artworks." It runs until January 12. To promote the exhibition, the Museum's Facebook page offers a reading by Helena Bonham Carter of Mamie Dickens's anecdote about her father, his cat, and a candle; and Simon Callow's reading of a passage about Bull's-eye from Oliver Twist.

Lucinda Hawksley talks 'A Tale of Two Cities'

On Saturday, July 13, the Dickens Museum is sponsoring "A Tale of Two Cities: An Afternoon with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley," where Dickens's great-great-great-granddaughter and president of the Dickens Fellowship will read excerpts from the novel and lead a discussion. The event is free and can be attended in-person or online. Go here for all the details and to sign up!

Honoring Dickens with a new generation

Today marks the 154th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens. On Friday, members of the Dickens Fellowship gathered to lay a wreath of geraniums on his grave, along with another wreath sent by Gad's Hill School. Marion Dickens Lloyd, a great-great-granddaughter of the author, gave the oration, and among those gathered were two of her grandchildren, who, Lucinda Dickens Hawksley writes, "were allowed off school to visit their 4x grandfather's grave for the very first time." Reports and pictures from Lucinda Hawksley, the Dickens Fellowship, and Ian Dickens are here, here, here, and here. Thanks to the Dickens family for sharing these tributes with all of us who love their inimitable ancestor!

Lucinda Dickens Hawksley new head of the Dickens Fellowship

Congratulations to the author's great-great-great-granddaughter for becoming the organization's new president!

Dickens celebrated on the Isle of Wight

Last month, Ian Dickens, great-great-grandson of the author and former president of the Dickens Fellowship, hosted a celebration of the 175th anniversary of Dickens's summer visit to the island. Several Dickens cousins, including Mark Dickens, Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, and Ian's brother Gerald Dickens took part in the festivities, which included a museum exhibition, a children's writing competition, and performances by Gerald. Gerald has an enthusiastic and enjoyable writeup of the event on his blog. 

Dickens Museum acquires letters from Georgina Hogarth

The museum recently purchased a collection of 120 letters written by Dickens's sister-in-law to journalist Charles Kent after Dickens's death. A few of the letters are going on display, while curator Emma Harper works on transcribing the collection as a whole. As Harper explains, "Charles Kent was one of Dickens’s oldest friends and he and Georgina began writing to each other while the author was still alive, and were later able to share their mutually profound grief on his sudden demise. They will be a tremendous asset for researchers.”

Fine Books & Collections quotes this passage from one of the letters, written on Dickens's first posthumous birthday:

I know he is happy and blessed and indeed I do not think I would recall him to this dark world, if I could - but the burden of life without him is very very hard to bear - and sometimes, just lately especially I feel as if I could not bear it- and people always seem to think it is wicked to wish to die I am sure I don't know why - at any rate, if the wish does not prevent your (self?) humbly trying to do your duty while you live - as cheerfully and contently as you can! God bless you and yours - and help you through weary work of living.

Read more about the letters and their significance here and here.  

Happy 212th birthday, Charles Dickens!

Shortly after his birthday in 1868, Charles Dickens wrote to his daughter Mamie, "I couldn't help laughing at myself on my birthday at Washington. It was observed as much as though I were a little boy. Flowers and garlands (of the most exquisite kind) bloomed all over the room; letters radiant with good wishes poured in; a shirt pin, a handsome silver travelling bottle, a set of gold shirt studs, and a set of gold sleeve links were on the dinner-table."

Living near Washington, D.C., myself, I'm pleased to know that we gave him such a good celebration. Whether you raise a glass to the Inimitable today, or wear a geranium, or reread a favorite passage, or eat a free brownie at the Dickens Museum, or just think a kindly thought of him, I hope you enjoy his birthday too!

Dickens on the Isle of Wight

A new short film, "Dickens Island," celebrates Charles Dickens's connection with the Isle of Wight and explores how it may have helped inspire some of his work. The film, directed by Jamie Langton, was inspired by the upcoming 175th anniversary of the Dickens family's summer stay on the island in 1849. Among those interviewed for the film is artist Ian Dickens, the author's great-great-grandson, who lives there today. Go here to read more, and click on the video below to watch the film in its entirety!

Thirty years of 'A Christmas Carol'

Gerald Dickens is celebrating a milestone anniversary -- he's been performing his great-great-grandfather's A Christmas Carol for 30 years now! In a new interview, he tells the Powys County Times why this work translates so well to the stage.

'Charles Dickens and Georgina Hogarth': A review

Charles Dickens and Georgina Hogarth: A curious and enduring relationship by Christine Skelton (Manchester University Press, 2023)

Of all the unanswered questions and ongoing disputes about Charles Dickens's life, one of the most intriguing is this: When Charles and his wife, Catherine, separated, why did Catherine's sister Georgina, who had been living with them for years, stay with Charles? Christine Skelton of the University of Birmingham attempts to answer that question with her new book exploring the connection between the novelist and his mysterious sister-in-law. In some ways she's able to throw light on it, but in other ways, it feels as if the mystery's only deepened.