Charles Dickens
Dickens and Andersen
29/05/25 08:57 Filed in: Books
Here is a "factoid" from time gone by related to Charles Dickens (a favorite author) and another author I have read though less familiar with, Hans Christian Andersen. They could have been more friendly in a relationship as authors but a visit went poorly and changed all of that. See here.
"Famed British novelist Charles Dickens and Danish fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen (known for The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid) could have been lifelong friends. They met in 1847 at a swanky party; Andersen told Dickens he was “the greatest writer of our time,” and Dickens, in turn, sent Andersen several books he signed as “his friend and admirer.” The pair were close pen pals for the next decade, but their relationship quickly went south in 1857, when Andersen visited Dickens for what was supposed to be two weeks, but stretched on for five.
Dickens later wrote in a letter to his friend William Jerdan — one of multiple letters to multiple people about the visit — that “whenever [Andersen] got to London, he got into wild entanglements of cabs and sherry, and never seemed to get out of them again until he came back here, and cut out paper into all sorts of patterns and gathered the strangest little nosegays in the woods.”
While Andersen, who was notoriously difficult to be around, remembers the visit fondly, for the Dickens family it was both peculiar and exhausting. Andersen was moody, anxious, and sensitive to rejection. Dickens’ daughter Katey called Andersen a “bony bore,” and one morning, Dickens’ wife Catherine found the visitor face down on the lawn, crying and clutching a bad review of his most recent book. After Andersen’s departure, Dickens left a note on the mirror in the guest room: “Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks — which seemed to the family AGES.” In the following years, Andersen continued to write letters to Dickens, but Dickens stopped responding.
"Famed British novelist Charles Dickens and Danish fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen (known for The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid) could have been lifelong friends. They met in 1847 at a swanky party; Andersen told Dickens he was “the greatest writer of our time,” and Dickens, in turn, sent Andersen several books he signed as “his friend and admirer.” The pair were close pen pals for the next decade, but their relationship quickly went south in 1857, when Andersen visited Dickens for what was supposed to be two weeks, but stretched on for five.
Dickens later wrote in a letter to his friend William Jerdan — one of multiple letters to multiple people about the visit — that “whenever [Andersen] got to London, he got into wild entanglements of cabs and sherry, and never seemed to get out of them again until he came back here, and cut out paper into all sorts of patterns and gathered the strangest little nosegays in the woods.”
While Andersen, who was notoriously difficult to be around, remembers the visit fondly, for the Dickens family it was both peculiar and exhausting. Andersen was moody, anxious, and sensitive to rejection. Dickens’ daughter Katey called Andersen a “bony bore,” and one morning, Dickens’ wife Catherine found the visitor face down on the lawn, crying and clutching a bad review of his most recent book. After Andersen’s departure, Dickens left a note on the mirror in the guest room: “Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks — which seemed to the family AGES.” In the following years, Andersen continued to write letters to Dickens, but Dickens stopped responding.
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Where Some Words Came From
I have long been a fan of Charles Dickens as an author. I have many of his books.
A recent article covers where some of our words in the English or American vocabulary came from.
One condition that I can find myself feeling is boredom, especially at this winter time of the year and there is less sunshine. The background on Charles Dickens bringing this word to more common usage was in his novel, Bleak House.
"According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first written record of the word "boredom" appears in Charles Dickens' 1852 novel Bleak House.
However, some historians have found antecedents that predate Dickens use of the term. Lord Byron used "bores" and "bored" in his 1823 epic poem Don Juan. And a few years later, Herman Melville used other variations of the term, like "bore" and "bored to death". While we can’t be sure who wrote the word first, its literary origin is undeniable."
A recent article covers where some of our words in the English or American vocabulary came from.
One condition that I can find myself feeling is boredom, especially at this winter time of the year and there is less sunshine. The background on Charles Dickens bringing this word to more common usage was in his novel, Bleak House.
"According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first written record of the word "boredom" appears in Charles Dickens' 1852 novel Bleak House.
However, some historians have found antecedents that predate Dickens use of the term. Lord Byron used "bores" and "bored" in his 1823 epic poem Don Juan. And a few years later, Herman Melville used other variations of the term, like "bore" and "bored to death". While we can’t be sure who wrote the word first, its literary origin is undeniable."
Charles Dickens Bio
26/07/20 08:24 Filed in: Books
I have always been a Charles Dickens fan as an author. In high school, we had to pick an author to read three of their books and then write a report. I initially picked Ernest Hemingway. This did not go over well since for some reason Hemingway and I were not simpatico. My grades in advanced English class were not doing well. I asked to switch authors and given the OK, I went with Dickens. This is where I also became a lifelong fan of A Tale of Two Cities.
It appears that based on Dickens life, he was a troubled man or trouble seemed to intrude. This article gives a synopsis of what they see as questions about his lifestyle and choices. His writings likely demonstrated much of his what was occurring. Enjoy the read and maybe we can avoid bringing on such troubles in our lives.
"The Mystery of Charles Dickens is a biography ready to take risks. Wading away from the shore – where the crowd laughs at comic turns and weeps at the pathos of orphans – AN Wilson takes six deep-sea dives in search of the monsters of the lower waters. He is after the darker things Dickens could conceive, and the question is how much of Dickens himself went into what appear distorted fantasy creatures moving about in the murk and preparing to injure others."\
It appears that based on Dickens life, he was a troubled man or trouble seemed to intrude. This article gives a synopsis of what they see as questions about his lifestyle and choices. His writings likely demonstrated much of his what was occurring. Enjoy the read and maybe we can avoid bringing on such troubles in our lives.
"The Mystery of Charles Dickens is a biography ready to take risks. Wading away from the shore – where the crowd laughs at comic turns and weeps at the pathos of orphans – AN Wilson takes six deep-sea dives in search of the monsters of the lower waters. He is after the darker things Dickens could conceive, and the question is how much of Dickens himself went into what appear distorted fantasy creatures moving about in the murk and preparing to injure others."\
