The Amazing Mr Dickens

David Allen presented a wonderful performance telling us the story of Charles Dickens. Dressed in period costume he held us entranced as he told us about Dickens’ life and how it inspired the characters and stories of his novels. Extracts from the novels illustrated the talk and bought the story to life.

Born in Portsmouth, his early childhood featured continuous moving as his father was posted to new jobs. Charles worked in a factory when his father had a spell in debtors prison and started writing short stories that he told to traders outside the prison gates.

Working as a solicitor’s clerk and teaching himself shorthand gave him access to parliamentary journalism and his first novel, Pickwick Papers bought him fame in 1836. Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby bought the suffering of the poor to his readers and he became renowned for writing about this side of human life. David went on to wind the creation of each of his novels into the story of his life and showed how they reflected his experiences at the time - A Christmas Carol, written in 6 weeks when his previous novel had failed, and Great Expectations written during a spell of depression and the failure of his marriage.

This was a fascinating evening bought to life by David’s amazing knowledge of the man and his writing.