Charles Dickens - Let's Celebrate!

2012 is a banner year for Charles Dickens, as the English-speaking world celebrates the 200th anniversary of his birth. I've been a fan of Dickens since I was a teenager. I loved the way that the virtuous young protagonists of his novels ultimately prevailed; I found his ability to weave together the fraught lives of a vast scrum of vivid characters compelling; and, of course, the brisk pace of his storytelling (Dickens published most of his novels in serial installments, typically with cliffhanger endings) prompted me to race to the end of each of his books, not even aware of their many pages.

It's surprising to me, therefore, that many readers these days are reluctant to try Dickens; perhaps they are daunted by the length of his books.  A look at his work as presented on the small screen, however, might persuade some to pick up his novels. The BBC has spent the last thirty-plus years adapting one Dickens masterpiece after another for television, including the superb Bleak House (2005), Little Dorrit (2008), Nicholas Nickleby (2000), and my favorite, Our Mutual Friend (1998). Two more (Great Expectations and The Mystery of Edwin Drood) are coming to the TV screen in 2012.


But the way you experience his work doesn't really matter. Whether you read, watch - or listen to* - Mr. Dickens' tales, your time will be well rewarded.

And how will I observe his milestone birthday? I am finally going to read a biography of Dickens, whose life story is reputed to be as compelling as his fiction!

Mary Hoskinson-Dean

*Click here for a list of the library's collection of Dickens books, audiobooks and video adaptations