Such a fun book! I love Charles Dickens and it was interesting to learn about him from this different perspective. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

An accessible introduction to the life of Charles Dickens.
Written in the form of a fictional interview, it provides a great background to the life and works of this well-known writer. It is suitable mainly for readers who do not have any previous experiences with the biographies of Dickens, as it is quite a brief overview of events.
I appreciate the research of the author that was put into making the interview as genuine as possible, quoting from Dickens' letters and books. The form of a fictional dialogue is a great idea of how to present canon writers in a modern way.

I knew nothing before about the personal life of Charles Dickens, and thus this 'Conversation' was a quite informative read where I learned about his childhood (not always easy, but in a loving family), his start as a journalist, his love-life, his fight for international copyright, and his love for walking and also acting.

The manner in which Dickens' answers are written really make you believe that it is this great author of the 19th century that is replying to the questions. The facts stated seem all very credible to me, even though they are a bit tedious at some points, e.g. when he talks about the quarrels with his publishers.

It is also noted that Charles Dickens often did public readings of his works, that indeed it was not only a marketing gig to get people to buy his books but a very welcome source of income for Dickens. I didn't know that public readings by authors was popular already by that time.

"Conversations with Dickens" presents readers with an informative yet entertaining look into the life of Charles Dickens. The author uses the interview technique to "talk" with Dickens and relates this biographical information in a "question and answer" format. This method effectively captures the spirit and personality of Dickens.

I appreciated the introductory material that provided background information to the reader, before getting into the interview section of the book, although some of the information was repeated in the interview. I liked learning more about the life and personality of one of my favorite authors. Endnotes provide citations for the source mentioned in the text, as well as a bibliography for readers who like a more in-depth look at the life of this well-loved author.

Readers who desire a short biographical read with insight into the personality of Charles Dickens will appreciate this book,which can probably be finished in one or two sittings.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Conversations with Dickens
A Fictional Dialogue Based on Biographical Facts

by Paul Schlicke

Watkins

Watkins Publishing

Biographies & Memoirs , Nonfiction (Adult)

Pub Date 12 Nov 2019

I am reviewing Conversations With Dickens through Watkins Publishing and Netgalley:

Charles Dickens was the equivalent to a Pop Star. Before radio, cinema, television and the internet he attracted international adulation on an unprecedented scale. His first novel the Pickwick papers was written when he was only twenty four years old. The Pickwick Papers was a publishing sensation going through multiple editions, abridgments, translations, adaptations, dramatizations and spin-offs throughout the century.

In this imagined interview you run into the Ghost of Charles Dickens at the beloved Inn of Mr Pickwick while sheltering from a Summer downpour. While chatting you become swept away by his vigors, warmth and humanity feeling as if you’ve known him all your life.

Charles Dickens was a great novelist who continues to attract international education on an unprecedented scale. He cultivated an intimacy with his readers, and after he died many of his admirers felt that they had lost a personal friend.

In Conversations With Dickens you get to sit back and listen to this master conversationalist talk about everything from work in a boot-polish factory to lecture tours in America.

I give Conversations With Dickens five out of five stars!

Happy Reading

Recently, Watkins Press started publishing a series of slim volumes that explore the biographies of famous people in the past. The first three books released explored John F. Kennedy, Cassanova, and Oscar Wilde. Three more volumes come out next week: bios of Galileo, the Buddha, and Charles Dickens. Each book starts with a short introduction by someone very famous. Simon Callow introduces the Oscar Wilde book, for example, and Peter Ackroyd provides the introduction to the volume about Charles Dickens.

Following a bit of traditional straightforward biography by a major scholar in the field or other knowledgeable author, the books turn to a highly readable but rather unusual style: an invented interview between scholar and famous person. In the case of the book I read, Conversations with Dickens, Paul Schlicke lists out a series of general topics and his related questions, fictively answered by Charles Dickens himself. Of course, Schlicke comes up with both the questions and the answers, based on his knowledge of Dicken’s life experiences, his personality and attitudes, and his authorial voice.

The slim volume does provide a clear summary of some of the most salient points in Dickens’ biography. In addition to recapitulating the major events of his childhood and adulthood, Schlicke also lays out the major themes of Dickins’ work: in the scholar’s words, “a Romantic fascination with childhood, the Victorian aspiration to succeed through personal effort, a delight in literary associations, and the ability to transform a mundane moment into a dramatically compelling and deeply revealing episode.”

I really enjoyed this brief biography and learned several pieces of information I did not know. One piece of biography that I didn’t remember was that several of Dickens’s children were named after famous authors of the time—a fact that I found utterly charming. One was Henry Fielding Dickens. Another was Alfred Tennyson. Etc.

I also loved the short discussion of the ways in which Shakespeare’s King Lear influenced both The Old Curiosity Shop and Dombey and Son. Another discussion in the book shows how many characters share initials or similar sounding names with Dickens himself. For example, David Copperfield has Dickens’ own initials transposed. In this biography’s fictive conversation, Dickens lists many other examples, including the one where he says he “may have gone a bit far in naming one character Richard Doubledick.”

Still, I have three significant reservations about this book.

1. Sometimes the conceit of a fictive conversation seems overly contrived. Take this dialogue: Introductory dialogue inserted in review here.] When I reached the end of this set up, I couldn’t quite decide if I was charmed or if it was just a little too silly to make for a worthwhile read.

2. Another problem I had with this unique style was that I was unclear what was basically the words of Dickens versus what was interpretation by Schlicke. Yes, there are a few footnotes at the end of the volume, but not to explain rational or the sources for Schlick’s creation of text for Dickens. Too many time I found myself unsure whether to believe in this fictional Dickens. To take one of the examples above, Did Dickens actually say that two of his novels were clearly linked to Shakespeare’s King Lear? Or was Schlicke using the fact that Dickens was involved in Shakespearean groups to support his reasonable assumption?

3. Finally, this biography is very slim, containing only a very sketchy portrait of the great writer. While the conceit of a conversation between scholar and great author does make for a breezy and compelling read, it often feels like padding here. What could have been easily condensed into roughly a Wikipedia article gets told in story form and covers more than a hundred pages. Although I say that as a critique, it definitely feels strangely appropriate when talking about Charles Dickens, master of the story-filled massive Victorian tome.

I've read Dickens, but knew very little about him as a person. Schlicke's book illuminated his life to me in great detail. I enjoyed the book.

An unusual but interesting format. Interviewing the ghost of Charles Dickens. Starts out with a short biography of this wonderful author and then goes to a question and answer format. How he named his characters, his titles, his illustrators and publishers. Likes and dislikes. In between each change of subject, we get a shirt explanation on what follows. The ending is about his personal life, his wife, her sisters and his last relationship. Would have rated this higher but I already knew much of what was within. One does though I think, get a balanced look at the man and author.

ARC from Netgalley.

I loved this unique and informed exploration of Dickens. This is a book to be enjoyed on its own — or, even better, paired as a reading with a classic example.

Charles Dickens led an interesting life, and his novels feature many seemingly autobiographical details. However, he destroyed many of his letters and personal writings, leaving biographers to make educated guesses about some very important aspects of his life. In this book, after some preliminary biography, Paul Schlicke has imagined what it would be like if Dickens had been interviewed by a genial admirer. It is an interesting exercise, and one that I think that my students will be able to relate to and even imitate in their own assignments.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC!