Dickensblog

'Dickens and Prince': A review

Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius by Nick Hornby (Riverhead Books, 2022).

What do a 19th-century Victorian novelist and a 20th-century rock star have in common? More than you might expect, according to award-winning author Nick Hornby, who's devoted an entire book to the unlikely pair. 

The impetus for the book came from the 2020 release of a commemorative boxed set of Prince's 1987 album Sign o' the Times. This release -- which included a whopping 63 songs that hadn't originally made the cut -- got Hornby thinking: "Who else ever produced this much? Who else ever worked that way? It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but then I realized there was an answer: Dickens. Dickens did. Dickens worked that way."

R.I.P., David Warner

The British actor, who played Bob Cratchit in the 1984 A Christmas Carol and Sampson Brass in the 1975 musical film Mr. Quilp, passed away July 24 at age 80. (Thanks to Josh Sharpe for the tip.)

'Quilp' soundtrack released

Footlight Records has released the soundtrack of the musical film Quilp, based on The Old Curiosity Shop and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings, and Michael Hordern. (Their site says it's a '60s musical, but IMDb puts the release of the film -- also known as Mr. Quilp -- in 1975). Apparently this is the first time this soundtrack has been released, so I can't tell you how it sounds! But I can tell you that Footlight is having a Labor Day weekend sale, so if you order now, you get a couple dollars off. (Note: This soundtrack is in CD-R format.)

'A World Full of Dickens Stories': A review

By Tai French, guest blogger

A World Full of Dickens Stories: 8 Best-Loved Classic Tales Retold for Children by Angela McAllister (Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2020)

The works of Charles Dickens, though marvelous, can be a tad daunting at first, especially for the young. With a dizzying array of characters, unfamiliar social mores and settings, and a wealth of subplots, a full-length Dickens novel can quickly overwhelm a novice or reluctant reader. Imagine how helpful a trusted guide could be, one who helps the reader keep track of the primary characters and follow the golden thread of the story through its twists and turns! A World Full of Dickens Stories is just such a faithful guide.

Ten years and counting

In January, this blog hit a major milestone -- which I totally missed at the time! January 26 marked Dickensblog's 10th anniversary. Here, for those of you who haven't seen it (and those of you who have!), is our first post from January 26, 2009.

Another look at a little-seen Dickens musical

Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, creators of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie, also wrote a musical based on The Old Curiosity Shop, titled A Pound in Your Pocket. The musical never played New York, but now it's getting a one-night-only concert performance there at Feinstein's/54 Below on January 24. Go here and here for details!

Eating with Dickens

The title of Laura Freeman's recent article in the Telegraph, "How Charles Dickens stopped me from starving myself to death," is slightly misleading. It wasn't just Dickens whose writing about food made this anorexic young woman realize that "food could be a pleasure"; it was also Siegfried Sassoon, Thomas Hardy, Marcel Proust, and several other writers. However, Dickens was one of those who played a part in her recovery, and that makes perfect sense -- he always had a special gift for writing about the simple joys and pleasures of life, and making them sound extra appealing.

In short, as Freeman puts it, "Never read Charles Dickens without a well-stocked larder. His novels can make a reader very hungry."

'Dickensian' may shoot in Eastern Europe

In Variety, Tony Jordan says that they're having trouble finding studio space for the show and that it may have to shoot in Eastern Europe, though he acknowledges, "It just doesn't feel quite right. It should be in the U.K." The piece also mentions some of the buildings and characters that are going to appear on the show. 

New details on 'Dickensian'

Tony Jordan spoke at the London Screenwriters' Festival and gave new details about his upcoming show for BBC One, Dickensian. He said, "We’re building 40,000 square feet of Dickensian London in a warehouse, with smoke and fire and horses." He also said that we'll see Little Nell in the first episode, and hinted that he might have a different fate for her than Dickens did! The Times has the story (subscriber-only).

Is 'The Boxtrolls' Dickensian?

by Steven D. Greydanus, guest blogger

"Dickensian" is a word cropping up in reviews of the new animated film The Boxtrolls. Is The Boxtrolls "Dickensian"?

Partially. The town of Cheesebridge is full of nasty people akin to Dickens's rogue's gallery: a town full of Squeers, Quilps, Fagins, and Havishams.

But what about the other side of the ledger?