Overview
Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography
A lively and insightful biographical celebration of the imaginative genius of Charles Dickens, published in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of his death.
Charles Dickens was a superb public performer, a great orator and one of the most famous of the Eminent Victorians. Slight of build, with a frenzied, hyper-energetic personality, Dickens looked much older than his fifty-eight years when he diedāan occasion marked by a crowded funeral at Westminster Abbey, despite his waking wishes for a small affair. Experiencing the worst and best of life during the Victorian Age, Dickens was not merely the conduit through whom some of the most beloved characters in literature came into the world. He was one of them.
Filled with the twists, pathos, and unusual characters that sprang from this novelistās extraordinary imagination, The Mystery of Charles DickensĀ looks back from the legendary writerās death to recall the key events in his life. In doing so, he seeks to understand Dickensā creative genius and enduring popularity. Following his life from cradle to grave, it becomes clear that Dickensās fiction drew from his lifeāa fact he acknowledged. Like Oliver Twist, Dickens suffered a wretched childhood, then grew up to become not only a respectable gentleman but an artist of prodigious popularity. Dickens knew firsthand the poverty and pain his characters endured, including the scandal of a failed marriage.Ā
Going beyond standard narrative biography, A. N. Wilson brilliantly revisits the wellspring of Dickensās vast and wild imagination, to reveal at long last why his novels captured the hearts of nineteenth century readersāand why they continue to resonate today.Ā
The Mystery of Charles Dickens is illustrated with 30 black-and-white images.
This book title, The Mystery of Charles Dickens - 9780062954954, ISBN: 9780062954954, by A.N. Wilson, published by HarperCollins (August 31, 2021) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer The Mystery of Charles Dickens - 9780062954954 books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.
Prefer to work with a human being when you order The Mystery of Charles Dickens - 9780062954954 books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!