There is no contemporary English writer whose works are read so generally through the whole house, who can give pleasure to the servants as well as to the mistress, to the children as well as to the master.
The famous essayist Walter Bagehot used these words to describe the author Charles Dickens in the National Review in 1858. Over the remaining twelve years of his short life Dickens continued to add to his already vast and impressive bibliography, entertaining the people of Victorian England while highlighting the realities of the world around them. His works were vital in propelling forward the vast social changes in Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
Yet many of his works have endured beyond their specific time and place and today Charles Dickens is still regarded as one of the greatest writers in history. But what is it that makes Dickens such and enduring and memorable writer? Why do his characters and tales still reach out and resonate with us so many years later?
'Scrooge' in The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992
Born into a loving family of limited means Dickens early years were marked by an unconventional private education and a love of nature and reading. Life soon took a harsh and unforgiving twist as Dickens father lost his job and was soon forced into debtors’ prison. While his mother and younger siblings joined their father, as was the custom, the twelve year old Charles Dickens was forced to fend for himself.
Joining the unforgiving world of working class London Dickens took a job at a Blacking Warehouse. Here he worked ten hour days in harsh conditions for six shillings a week. This period, understandably, left a large impression on Dickens and he recalled many of the people and conditions he met and experienced in his later writings. Though his father was soon released Dickens’ mother kept him working for some time, which became a souring moment in his life.
'You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two' in Oliver!, 1968
This tragic background separated Dickens from most of his contemporary writers, and those that had gone before him. Though he went back to school and got an education that allowed him to support himself with a well earning job as a clerk the experience of poverty never left Dickens. Writing for him wasn’t a distraction from a lavish or comfortable life; it was his life and how he made ends meet.
From this harsh background was birthed the wonderful tales of A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities and many other great works of prose and poetry. As part of Dublin’s Five Lamps Festival Laurence Foster will be performing his one man show, Dickens in Dublin, that explores the author’s life and work. Join us on ‘Talking Books’ as Susan talks with Laurence about his play and the works of Charles Dickens and how they have remained some of the most widely read and imitated works in history.
Susan also talks with Irish author Claire Kilroy about her life as an author, the importance of music in her writing and life, and the workshop she will be hosting in the forthcoming Doolin Writers Weekend. in 2004 Claire burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel All Summer, which won that year's Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Since then she has continued to enjoy commercial and critical success with three further novels; the latest of which, The Devil I Know, was released last year.
Join 'Talking Books' as Susan journeys through the author's life with Claire Kilroy. What drove her to become a full-time writer? What have her experiences of creative writing classes and workshops been? What does the future hold now that she is a mother and writer? Why is the violin so important for her? And can you hear an author's musical taste through the words on the page?
