Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World

A concise portrait of the forefront Victorian novelist by the acclaimed actor and award-winning author of My Life in Pieces draws on his own experiences of portraying his subject on stage and screen to illuminate Dickens' genius and lesser-known status as a celebrity in his own time. - Publishers description.;Paradise -- Paradise Lost -- Beginning the World -- The Birth of Boz -- The Peregrinations of Pickwick -- Practical Power -- Here We Are! -- Sledge-Hammer Blow -- Animal Magnetism -- Every Man in His Humour -- The Great Fight and Strife of Life -- Not So Bad as We Seem -- The Ice-Bound Soul -- Going Public -- The Loadstone Rock -- On the Ground. A short biography of Charles Dickens by acclaimed actor and writer Simon Callow that offers a fresh perspective on one of the greatest novelists in the English language in a lively, highly readable account. "It has all the gusto that a popular biography of Dickensa man who could do nothing by halvesshould possess. . . .#160;The best biography for Dickens newcomers and a wonderful read for all." Library Journal #160; Dickens was one of the first true celebrity authors. Thousands of fans in Britain and America eagerly awaited each new installment of his stories and flocked to see him on his legendary speaking tours. Not only did he create an incredible cast of characters on the page, but he was also a dazzling mimic and storyteller, and he wrote, stage-managed, and acted in plays for the public. Throughout his life, from his childhood performances in pubs to his legendarily powerful reading tours, Dickens was fanatical about the stage. Callow reveals Dickenss genius on and off the page and offers a compelling insight into a life that was driven as much by performance and showmanship as by literature