When I was in high school our librarian liked to suggest books or authors
to students she believed might like them. That is how my live long love of the
works of Charles Dickens started. She suggested I try, Oliver Twist and I
couldn’t put it down. My second Dickens' book was, A Tale of Two Cities. Who
doesn’t love the greatest opening lines in all of fiction?
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of
Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything
before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we
were all going direct the other way.”
Dickens led an incredible story book life. He father was imprisoned for
debt and he was forced to work in a factory for pennies a day. Many would have accepted
their lot and told all who would listen their tales of woe. But not Dickens, he
read. He has often been described as an autodidact, and I suppose he was. He read,
he learned and he remembered, forever.
Dickens intellect not only got him out of the blacking factory it made
him famous. By age 24, only 12 years after being forced into the boot black
factory, he was one of the most famous people in England. He reached the fame
through the publication of his, Pickwick Papers. The papers were printed in installments
and became the most widely read articles in all of Europe.
Dickens never returned to school, nor did he need to. His formal
education ended after elementary school and after Shakespeare he may be the
most famous of all English writers. His works are still selling today, his Tale
of Two Cites, I referenced above has sold over 200 million copies. Because
of his tough upbringing Dickens remained a champion of the poor and down
trodden throughout his life giving both time and money to many helpful causes.
Born a pauper to a dead beat father Dickens story is remarkable. He could
have been forgotten by the age of 12, instead he spent the next 46 years
becoming one of the most beloved authors in all of the English language.
Charles Dickens life ended too soon at 58, he was buried with kings and queens
in Westminster Abby. Quite a finish for someone who started the race in last.
.
2 comments:
I have a book waiting to be read by Dickens, Oliver Twist, I think and I remember Tale of Two Cities from high school. Will revisit him before too long.
Hi Oscar - Oliver Twist is one of my all time favorite books.
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