Dickensians! discussion

Although Charles Dickens never wrote an autobiography, there are dozens of biographies of him. They start with one by his mentor and friend John Forster, which was published just a few years after he died. Other members of his family, such as Mamie Dickens wrote about her father too.

In fact a critically acclaimed "major biography" of Charles Dickens has been published roughly every decade since his death! Plus there are many which are good, and worth reading, plus books which have a particular slant on an aspect of Charles Dickens, or try to put him into some sort of context.

Have you read any? Or perhaps you have read one which was written for children? Please come and tell us about them here. Recommendations are welcome. You can link to your review too, if you like.

Edit: March 2021:

This thread has been broadened to also include any books about Charles Dickens and his works.

I've read Charles Dickens by Michael Slater.
It's been awhile but I recall enjoying it. It focussed more on his writing life, with just a bit of mention of his personal life. I would like to read another biography one day that focusses more on his personal life.
If I recall, the man liked to walk......a lot.... He was a very energetic man.

Petra wrote: "If I recall, the man liked to walk......a lot.... He was a very energetic man ..."

Yes you're right, he walked for miles every single day! It's extraordinary, the amount of things Charles Dickens fitted into his life. But then he really did burn himself out :(

Thanks for mentioning this biography Petra. It was well-acclaimed, and Michael Slater is one of the world's leading experts on Dickens. It's on my (real) shelves, but I haven't got round to reading it yet.

I've just edited my first comment to add the bit about linking to your review if you like, as I'm sure people will find that feature interesting and useful.

I enjoyed reading the historical fiction book Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. It has a lot of biographical material in it, and is entertaining. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I enjoyed Claire Tomalin's biography of Dickens. She has also written biographies of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Connie wrote: "I enjoyed reading the historical fiction book Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. It has a lot of biographical material in it, and is entertaining ..."

Thanks for bringing this one up, Connie, and for your excellent review of it :)

However, I have to point out that the work is largely fiction.

I haven't read it, and gather the descriptions of London, and Charles Dickens's long walks through it, day or night - plus everyone viewing him as a source of cash - are well done. Certainly these are true to his life. But the invention of "Eleanor" as a sort of muse is pure fiction. As is the idea that he had to write a story quickly to pay his debts. Here are the facts:

1. The inspiration for the book lay in Charles Dickens's visits to, and campaigning for, the Ragged Schools, (self-help institutions for the urban poor) with which he was becoming increasingly involved. He'd also just been invited to speak at the first annual general meeting of the "Manchester Athenaeum" (an adult education institute for the working class), along with Disraeli. He had recent experiences with industrialism and prisons, both in England and the USA. His sister Fran had a young crippled son (depicted as "Tiny Tim"). These were his influences at the time. No time yet for extra-marital romantic liaisons.

2. His previous novel Martin Chuzzlewit had not sold as well as he and his publishers had expected. Yes, he wanted his next book to sell well.

3. He wrote A Christmas Carol in 6 weeks, (not 4), as he felt gripped and inspired by the idea.

4. But his publishers' reaction to the disappointing sales of Martin Chuzzlewit had led to them losing faith in the marketability of Dickens’s work. They therefore wanted to issue A Christmas Carol in an cheap collection of Dickens’s works - or possibly as part of a new magazine. Publisher and author disagreed violently, and their feud began. And here comes the rub. Charles Dickens financed the publication of A Christmas Carol himself.

5. Dickens ordered lavish bindings, gilt edging, and hand-coloured illustrations and then set the price low, at 5 shillings so that everyone could afford it. This combination resulted in disappointingly low profits despite high sales then, and forever more. A Christmas Carol was enormously successful, but still it did not help his money worries! Everyone was reading it, as he had hoped, but the profits were tiny. To add to the insult, pirated copies quickly went on sale too. Piracy issues then plagued him all his life.

So there are serious divergences from the truth. Mr. Dickens and His Carol is more of a fantasy, although such books can be very enjoyable. However, when facts are known and well documented, it can make one uneasy if the fantasy starts to be believed as biographical material, can't it :(

Apologies for the embarrassingly long, detailed post! And I really am pleased you mentioned this book, Connie :) As I remember, it was very popular last Christmas, but I avoided reading it. I gather The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford is a more reliable account.

Perhaps I should grasp the mettle and read both!

John wrote: "I enjoyed Claire Tomalin's biography of Dickens. She has also written biographies of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy...."

Thanks John. I've read two of Claire Tomalin's books and like you, rate her very highly. Her academic credentials are excellent, and her style is readable.

I'd actually got the one you mention earmarked as a group side read, (but that's a secret, so shhh! ;) LOL!) So I'm glad you gave it 5 stars!

Bionic Jean wrote: "Connie wrote: "I enjoyed reading the historical fiction book Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva. It has a lot of biographical material in it, and is enter..."

Thanks for pointing out what is fact and what is fiction in the book. The character of Eleanor as a muse is presented as almost a figment of his imagination, a shadowy figure in foggy London that might be real and might be imagined in his mind. I'm looking forward to learning more about the real Charles Dickens.

Connie wrote: "The character of Eleanor as a muse is presented as almost a figment of his imagination, a shadowy figure in foggy London that might be real and might be imagined in his mind..."

Ah, no reviews (or interviews) I've read point that out. But it makes a difference, doesn't it? Thanks Connie. I now think I should read it.

I also like Claire Tomalin's book. It's much more accessible to the average reader than some of the scholarly tomes out there.

Has anyone read Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph by Edgar Johnson? I haven't read them yet but I own them and am greatly looking forward to it!

Meg wrote: "Has anyone read Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph by Edgar Johnson? I haven't read them yet but I own them and am greatly looking forward to it!"

I've read quite a few Dickens biographies over the years including this one many years ago - I remember it as a powerful read, which gives a strong impression of his character, but I did read it in the one-volume paperback, not the longer two-volume edition. (I only found out about the 2-volume version years later.) I think some of the information would be out of date now because more has been found out since and also I seem to remember that Johnson is not very interested in Catherine - but as I say it was a very long time since I read it. I will be interested to hear what you think, Meg.

Judy wrote: "Meg wrote: "Has anyone read Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph by Edgar Johnson? I haven't read them yet but I own them and am greatly looking forward to it!..."Hi Meg, Haven't read Johnson's Bio - but enjoyed Peter Ackroyd's. I also enjoyed Claire Tomalin's book, "The Invisible Woman; The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens." I'll try our Library Connect site to see if they have the book you recommended. Thanks!

There's a lesser known partial biography, which I can recommend. It is a short book, called Dickens Incognito, and was written in 1959 by the actor, writer and Dickens scholar, Felix Aylmer.

Dickens Incognito examines the part of Charles Dickens's life which was revealed when an old diary of his was found. Felix Aylmer decodes many of the cryptic initials, and follows up land and birth registrations to solve the mystery of his life with Nelly Ternan.

Claire Tomalin used (and credited) quite a lot of this as source material for her own book.

I really enjoyed reading the John Forster biography, which is unique because he was Dickens's close friend. although sadly he doesn't include many personal conversations. And there is a lot he understandably leaves out because it would have offended family etc.

Apart from the Edgar Johnson bio, some of the other main modern biographies I have read over the years are the Peter Ackroyd, Fred Kaplan, Claire Tomalin and Michael Slater biographies.

I thought all these were very interesting in different ways, but would suggest reading Slater after another biography, as he concentrates on Dickens's writings and doesn't include so much about his personal relationships. The Ackroyd biography (I read the long original version, which has since been abridged) is a bit infuriating in some ways, as there are no proper notes and sometimes you can't be sure where he got something from, but he is such a good writer himself that I found it fascinating to have his take on Dickens.

Years ago, I also read all 12 volumes of Dickens's letters - I was very lucky that my local library had them all available to borrow! I thought these were wonderful and really gave a lot of insight into his life.

I don't know the Fred Kaplan one Judy - perhaps you could link to it? Gosh, you've read so many general ones.

Charles Dickens's letters are definitely something we should read as a group, I think. As you say, they really bring him to life :) There are various edited editions, or they are just available copyright-free on ereaders now :) And we could look at his daughter Mamie Dickens's biographies of him.

I do still think that Peter Ackroyd's original biography (as you say, the longest one which was well over a thousand pages), titled simply Dickens, is the best. When it was first published in 1990, the critics were stunned, and viewed it as something completely different. It is almost as much a study of the culture and period Dickens was born into, as it is a biography. I had it read to me, (as the print size was too small) and both my husband and I were immersed in Dickens's world for several months, although he had not previously been particularly interested in him :)

As well as Dickens, there are several other, shorter books on him by Peter Ackroyd, covering different aspects of the writer. However most of the material in the ones I've read is present in the original volume I linked to, but rehashed and illustrated. Two of these which I have are Dickens: Public Life and Private Passion and Dickens' London: An Imaginative Vision.

And a book which relates to Charles Dickens by Peter Ackroyd is an entire history of London, titled London: The Biography. I haven't read that yet, but being the Dickens scholar he is, he'll be bound to bring Mr. Dickens into it somehow :)

Bionic Jean wrote: "I don't know the Fred Kaplan one Judy - perhaps you could link to it? Gosh, you've read so many general ones..."

The one by Fred Kaplan is Dickens: A Biography - I read it when it first came out in 1989/1990 but don't know if it has been updated since.

I haven't looked at it for a long time, but remember it as a good read although it was overshadowed by Ackroyd which came out at around the same time. I think it is more factual and less eccentric than Ackroyd, so they complement each other quite well!

Thank you Judy.

I've searched my library's catalogue for the listed biographies. There is a copy of Peter Ackroyd's biography. Therefore, once the libraries open again I will check that out and give this a read.
Thanks for all the great recommendations.

I hope you enjoy it Petra! I like the way he writes.

There is a new book out by Professor John Mullan called The Artful Dickens: The Tricks and Ploys of the Great Novelist. It looks at questions such as how Charles Dickens came up with such bizarre names, or Charles Dickens's favourite ways of killing a character!

Apparently there are thirteen "entertaining and wonderfully insightful essays", which explore many aspects of Charles Dickens's eccentric genius, "from his delight in clichés to his rendering of smells and his outrageous use of coincidences". "The Times" newspaper called it "a Dickensian treat" and it has received high praise from the critics.



Tonight at 6pm GMT, the "Dickens Museum" in London is holding a virtual event with John Mullan: a zoom meeting where ticket-holders can have a conversation with the author and get a chance to ask questions. (It was to be a live event, but we are still in lockdown in England for another week.)

That spunds really interesting Jean!

This thread has been broadened to also include any books about Charles Dickens and his works.

What have you spotted, or read?

I'm slowly reading the John Mullan book mentioned in this thread, The Artful Dickens: The Tricks and Ploys of the Great Novelist and mentioned it over in the Dombey and Son thread just now.

It's very interesting and fun to read, as he picks out lots of quirky aspects of Dickens's writing which it's easy to miss, like his use of smells and, one we have just mentioned in the D&S discussion, the way he sometimes switches into the present tense. However, the book is absolutely full of spoilers and clearly assumes that every reader will know all Dickens's plots!

I just noticed mention of Ackroyd’s London: A Biography. I have had a copy for ages. Somehow I really must work in reading this while reading various Dickens and Dickens related works.

This isnt about a Dickens biography book, but I have a question about his life and I thought maybe I could post it here, hoping someone would have the answer. (i apologize if i'm posting on the wrong thread)

Jean mentioned today on the Dombey and Son thread that Dickens and Edgar Allan Poe were friends. Which made me wonder, was Dickens also friends with Herman Melville? I know Moby Dick was published in 1851, which is so close to the Dombey and Son publication date. When I ran across Major Bagstock's servant - The Native - I immediately thought of him as a comic version of Queequeg in Moby Dick.

Bridget wrote: "This isnt about a Dickens biography book, but I have a question about his life ..."

Hi Bridget,
We have a thread where you can post this very interesting question - it had just sunk down the list a bit! It's LINK HERE.

So could you move it there please? Then I can delete this ... hope you don't mind. Thanks!

By the way, I do know that Herman Melville rated Charles Dickens very highly - so am happy to talk about it over there ... if others can hang on a bit too please!

Bionic Jean wrote: "Bridget wrote: "This isnt about a Dickens biography book, but I have a question about his life ..."

Hi Bridget,
We have a thread where you can post this very interesting question - it had just sun..."

Just reposted with the link you sent me. Thanks so much Jean!

Has anyone read a biography of Charles Dickens recently? Or added one you would like to read?

I agree, it was ground-breaking when it was first published and remains the best and most comprehensive at over 1K pages.

Good to see you commenting, David :) Would you like to introduce yourself in the welcome thread, perhaps?

That's good to hear about Ackroyd's biography of Dickens! I found it on archive.org and hope to start it soon.

Cozy_Pug wrote: "That's good to hear about Ackroyd's biography of Dickens! I found it on archive.org and hope to start it soon."

I think I will start with Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin. It gets excellent reviews, including from Sue, our group member, and is half the length. Reading about the Ackroyd vs the Tomalin there is a tradeoff in the reading experience and in the knowledge gained. They both sound fantastic.

Anne (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "That's good to hear about Ackroyd's biography of Dickens! I found it on archive.org and hope to start it soon."

I think I will start with Charles Dickens: A Life b..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Anne! I'll add the Tomalin bio to my list.

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion, Anne! I'll add the Tomalin bio to my list."

Cozy Pug, if you read the Ackroyd and I read the Tomalin we could discuss, the similarities and differences, etc.

Anne (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion, Anne! I'll add the Tomalin bio to my list."

Cozy Pug, if you read the Ackroyd and I read the Tomalin we could discuss, the similarities and differences,..."

Absolutely! I'd love to do that!

Cozy Pug, that's great! Let me know when you think you'll start on the Ackroyd and I'll start the Tomalin. :))

I was so disappointed when I tried to get the Ackroyd biography from the library last summer. It was no longer in the catalogue!
I'm glad to hear that it's on archive.org. Thanks, Cozy_Pug.

Anne (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "Cozy Pug, that's great! Let me know when you think you'll start on the Ackroyd and I'll start the Tomalin. :))"

I hope to begin this week - I need to finish the book I'm reading and one more. I'll post here when I know for sure when I can start! :D

Petra - happy to help! I couldn't locate it in my library system, or neighboring county library systems, no ebook either.

Cozy Pug, OK. :))

I’d be interested in putting The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London down for awhile and starting the Tomalin. Where would we comment?

Petra wrote: "I was so disappointed when I tried to get the Ackroyd biography from the library last summer. It was no longer in the catalogue!"

They may have purchased one of his others to replace it. Look at the page count. Most people do not read the original of over a thousand words but the shorter one Peter Ackroyd wrote by editing it. He's actually written lots of other books about Charles Dickens too :)

Kathleen wrote: "I’d be interested in putting The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London down for awhile and starting the Tomalin. Where would we comment?"

Here would be fine Kathleen. Or you can have a buddy read set up (there's a dedicated thread to discuss that).

This thread is really for recommendations, links to reviews and brief comments - including warnings about spoilers! All these biographies include spoilers for his main novels. When I choose a side read I do try to avoid those - or warn about them.

Claire Tomalin's biography is far shorter, so we may well read that one as a side read - with warnings obviously! But there is an excellent recent one by Michael Slater too, as Petra has said. In fact there has been a major biography of Charles Dickens every decade since he died!

I couldn't locate the Ackroyd bio long or short version where I am in the US. I was thrilled to find the long one on archive.org.

Bionic Jean wrote: "They may have purchased one of his others to replace it. Look at the page count. Most people do not read the original of over a thousand words but the shorter one Peter Ackroyd wrote by editing it. He's actually written lots of other books about Charles Dickens too :)..."

I checked, Jean. No Dickens biography by Ackroyd.....but there is, interestingly enough, one on Wilkie Collins.

Peter Ackroyd's shorter bio of Charles Dickensat 597 pages is on kindle. There is an American edition of 1195 page one published by Harpercollins 0060166029 (ISBN13: 9780060166021).

Also you could look for Dickens: Public Life and Private Passion, The Mystery Of Charles Dickens, Dickens' London: An Imaginative Vision, Introduction to Dickens all by him ... but I have others not on GR, so perhaps they are not easy to find outside the UK :(

Jean the only Ackroyd Dickens bio available here on Kindle is the short one in Italian. Sadly I don't speak or read Italian lol :D

I see the HarperCollins book you listed - but I need to read on my iPad so I can make the print really big.

I can't find any Ackroyd biographies on Dickens for kindle that are in English.

Like Petra, I found the one on Wilkie Collins :D

Thank you for searching - I really appreciate your help!

I feel really disappointed at this :( Peter Ackroyd has written dozens of books about London and various classic authors as well as Charles Dickens . It sounds as though he should sack his agent if they're not getting to either the USA or Canada - I know from what everyone says that Charles Dickens has a huge following in both countries!

Thanks Anne for mentioning Claire Tomalin’s biography. I found it excellent and one somewhat unexpected extra was the added information and resources I found in the extensive footnotes.

As for Peter Ackroyd, I have paper copies of his books on London and The Thames and kindle copies of some histories. His books are a time investment but they are enlightening in my experience. I haven’t looked in my local library recently.

Sue, I am looking forward to reading Tomalin's biography. It sounds excellent. Your 5 star rating was helpful in my decision about which biography to read. :))

I love Peter Ackroyd. I have quite a number of his books. I have the Dickens biography, (I have to check the page count, not sure if it’s the shortened form). His London: The Biography and Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination are brilliant books. He also writes literary novels like The Lambs of London, Hawksmoor and many more. He’s extremely prolific!