Britain marks Charles Dickens' 200th birthday
Source: Agencies |
February 8, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PRINCE Charles led global celebrations yesterday marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, a titan of English literature whose vivid stories confronted the injustices of Victorian life.
Britain's heir to the throne visited the Charles Dickens Museum in London where US actress Gillian Anderson, who played Miss Havisham in a BBC adaptation of "Great Expectations," read from Dickens' work.
The prince went to Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the grave of a writer whose stories, from "Nicholas Nickleby" to "Oliver Twist," and characters, from Samuel Pickwick to Ebenezer Scrooge, live on in countless stage and screen adaptations.
Ralph Fiennes, Dickens biographer Claire Tomalin and the author's great-great grandson, Mark Dickens, appeared at a special ceremony at Poets' Corner, where Dickens was buried in 1870 alongside Geoffrey Chaucer, Alfred Tennyson, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling and other literary greats.
The event marked the largest gathering of Dickens' descendants, with more than 200 family members attending.
"This bicentenary should help renew our commitment to improving the lot of the disadvantaged of our own day," said the Dean of Westminster, John Hall, referring to Dickens' preoccupation with inequality and poverty.
Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt presented his fellow Cabinet ministers with copies of Dickens novels; Prime Minister David Cameron was given "Great Expectations" and "Hard Times."
Further afield, the British Council staged a global "read-a-thon" with 24 readings from 24 Dickens texts in 24 hours, starting in Australia and taking in countries including Iraq, China and Pakistan.
Ongoing events coinciding with the anniversary included exhibitions in Zurich, New York and across Britain and theatrical performances by professional actors and schoolchildren alike and an online tribute from bloggers in Spain.
Dickens' appeal shows no sign of abating more than 140 years after his death.
His books remain in print the world over and film director Mike Newell is working on a new screen version of "Great Expectations" starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
And Google paid tribute to Dickens on its homepage with a cartoon "doodle" featuring some of his most famous characters.
Dickens' first novel, "The Pickwick Papers," was serialized in 1836 and became a success, and was followed by "Oliver Twist" and "Nicholas Nickleby."
He carried with him the whiff of scandal when, in his mid-forties, he met teenager Ellen Ternan, and their relationship led to his separation from Catherine, his wife and mother to his 10 children.
He died at home near Rochester in Kent in 1870, aged 58.
Britain's heir to the throne visited the Charles Dickens Museum in London where US actress Gillian Anderson, who played Miss Havisham in a BBC adaptation of "Great Expectations," read from Dickens' work.
The prince went to Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the grave of a writer whose stories, from "Nicholas Nickleby" to "Oliver Twist," and characters, from Samuel Pickwick to Ebenezer Scrooge, live on in countless stage and screen adaptations.
Ralph Fiennes, Dickens biographer Claire Tomalin and the author's great-great grandson, Mark Dickens, appeared at a special ceremony at Poets' Corner, where Dickens was buried in 1870 alongside Geoffrey Chaucer, Alfred Tennyson, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling and other literary greats.
The event marked the largest gathering of Dickens' descendants, with more than 200 family members attending.
"This bicentenary should help renew our commitment to improving the lot of the disadvantaged of our own day," said the Dean of Westminster, John Hall, referring to Dickens' preoccupation with inequality and poverty.
Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt presented his fellow Cabinet ministers with copies of Dickens novels; Prime Minister David Cameron was given "Great Expectations" and "Hard Times."
Further afield, the British Council staged a global "read-a-thon" with 24 readings from 24 Dickens texts in 24 hours, starting in Australia and taking in countries including Iraq, China and Pakistan.
Ongoing events coinciding with the anniversary included exhibitions in Zurich, New York and across Britain and theatrical performances by professional actors and schoolchildren alike and an online tribute from bloggers in Spain.
Dickens' appeal shows no sign of abating more than 140 years after his death.
His books remain in print the world over and film director Mike Newell is working on a new screen version of "Great Expectations" starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
And Google paid tribute to Dickens on its homepage with a cartoon "doodle" featuring some of his most famous characters.
Dickens' first novel, "The Pickwick Papers," was serialized in 1836 and became a success, and was followed by "Oliver Twist" and "Nicholas Nickleby."
He carried with him the whiff of scandal when, in his mid-forties, he met teenager Ellen Ternan, and their relationship led to his separation from Catherine, his wife and mother to his 10 children.
He died at home near Rochester in Kent in 1870, aged 58.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
