Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (Charles John Huffam Dickens) was born on February 7th, 1812. Charles passed away June 9th, 1870 at 58 years old. Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.

Charles Dickens had written 24 standalone novels, starting with The Pickwick Papers in 1837. The most recently released novel was The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was released in 1870.

Charles Dickens also wrote the Short Story Collections series which has 18 books including Sketches by Boz and The Mudfog Papers.

Charles Dickens: Awards & Accolades

Dickens' books have won multiple awards, The Adventures of Oliver Twist won the Audie Award, Best Female Narrator, in 1999 as well as the Audie Award - Best Audio Drama in 2014. Great Expectations won the Audie Award, Best Male Narrator, in 2010.

Charles Dickens books have also been nominated for multiple awards, The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales was nominated for the World Fantasy Award, Anthology, in 1994. David Copperfield was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Multi-Voiced Performance Award, in 1996. The Adventures of Oliver Twist was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Fiction, in 1999. A Christmas Carol was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Male Narrator, in 2010. Little Dorrit was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Audio Drama, in 2010.

Charles Dickens: Lists & Other Mentions

• A Tale of Two Cities was an Oprah's Book Club December 2010 Pick.
• Great Expectations was an Oprah's Book Club December 2010 Pick.
• A Tale of Two Cities has made several lists including:
  1. AbeBooks: 100 (Fiction) Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2018.
  2. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
  3. Parade: 125 Best Romance Books of All Time Selection in 2024.
  4. AbeBooks: 50 Essential Historical Fiction Books Selection in 2021.
  5. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
• Great Expectations has made several lists including:
  1. AbeBooks: 100 (Fiction) Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2018.
  2. Amazon US: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014.
  3. Amazon UK: 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime Selection in 2014.
  4. BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
  5. National Book Foundation: 100 Life-Changing Books Selection in 2006.
  6. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
  7. The Independent: 40 Best Books To Read Before You Die Selection in 2023.
  8. The Daily Mail: A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life Selection in 2019.
  9. Book Riot: From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books Selection in 2013.
  10. TES Magazine: Teacher's Favourite Books List Selection in 2013.
  11. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
  12. PBS: The Great American Read Selection in 2018.
  13. Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Novels Selection in 2013.
• David Copperfield has made several lists including:
  1. The Guardian: 100 Best Novels Written in English Selection in 2015.
  2. BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
  3. The Guardian: 100 Greatest Novels of All Time Selection in 2003 and 2015.
  4. National Book Foundation: 100 Life-Changing Books Selection in 2006.
  5. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
  6. The Telegraph: 100 Novels Everyone Should Read Selection in 2009.
  7. TES Magazine: Teacher's Favourite Books List Selection in 2013.
  8. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
  9. The Telegraph: The Perfect Library Selection in 2008.
• Dombey and Son was a BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
• Bleak House has made several lists including:
  1. BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
  2. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
  3. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
  4. Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Novels Selection in 2013.
• Hard Times was a Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
• A Christmas Carol has made several lists including:
  1. Penguin: 100 Must-Read Classic Books Selection in 2022.
  2. The Daily Mail: A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life Selection in 2019.
  3. BBC: Radio Oxford 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die Selection in 2020.
  4. BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
• Our Mutual Friend was a BBC: 100 Novels That Shaped Our World Selection in 2019.
• The Adventures of Oliver Twist was a BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
• The Pickwick Papers was a BBC: The Big Read Selection in 2003.
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood was a Mystery Writers of America: Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time Selection in 1995.

Charles Dickens: TV/Movies Based on Books

The work of Dickens has been adapted into numerous television series over the years. Here is a list of them in alphabetical order:

Barnaby Rudge: A thirteen episode series that ran in 1960.

Bleak House: This was made into a television serial in 1959, 1985, and 2005. The 2005 version had an all-star cast that included Gillian Anderson, Timothy West, Charles Dance, and Carey Mulligan. It aired for fifteen episodes.

Dombey and Son: A ten part miniseries produced by the BBC that was first broadcast in 1983.

Great Expectations: A 1989 version aired on ITV in the UK and The Disney Channel in the US. It starred Anthony Hopkins, Jean Simmons, and John Rhys-Davies. It was later made into a three-part BBC miniseries in 2011. That version starred Gillian Anderson, Ray Winstone, and Douglas Booth.

Little Dorrit: A 2008 co-production between the BBC and WGBH Boston. It was written by Andrew Davies and it went on to win seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: ITV did an adaptation of this in 1960 and then BBC made a miniseries of it in 2012.

Our Mutual Friend: A seven episode miniseries that ran in 1976. Jane Seymour was one of the stars playing Miss Bella Wilfer.

The Pickwick Papers: A twelve-part miniseries that aired on the BBC in 1985. It starred Nigel Stock, Jeremy Nicholas, and Alan Parnaby.

Not only has Charles Dickens have numerous works turned into film, many of them have been turned into film multiple times. A Christmas Carol is the big one as it has been adapted many, many times. It might be one of the most adapted works of all-time. There have been so many adaptations that many remember the adaptations better than the original. For instance, Scrooge did not visit the Cratchit family on Christmas Day in the original.

There are almost too many to list, but here is a list of some of the most famous adaptations.

- A Christmas Carol (1908): The one that started it all.
- A Christmas Carol (1938): One of the more famous adaptations starred Reginald Owen as Scrooge. It played on television for years.
- Scrooge (1951): The more famous version in Britain, starring Alastair Sim.
- A Christmas Carol (1984): George C. Scott starred as Scrooge in this adaptation.
- A Christmas Carol (1999): Patrick Stewart starred as Scrooge in this adaptation.
- A Christmas Carol (2009): The Robert Zemeckis directed, computer animated adaptation that starred Jim Carrey.
- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009): Christmas is replaced with a wedding in this adaptation that saw Matthew McConaughey visited by three ghost ex-girlfriends.
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983): The classic Disney adaptation with Mickey Mouse playing the role of Bob Cratchit.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): Not to be outdone, the Muppets adapted the work with Kermit in the role of Bob Cratchit and the great Michael Caine in the role of Scrooge.
- Scrooge (1970): A musical adaptation starring Albert Finney as Scrooge.
- Scrooged (1988): An updated version on the classic story with Bill Murray playing a version of Scrooge.
- Spirited (2022): A modern version which acknowledges all that has come before and tells the story from the point of view of the ghosts. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer.

Other works by Dickens that have been committed to film include:

Barnaby Rudge: A 1915 silent film. It was also made into a TV series.

Bleak House: Adapted into a 1920 silent film. It was also made into a TV serial multiple times.

The Chimes: A 1914 silent film.

The Cricket on the Hearth: Adapted into silent films in 1909 and 1923.

David Copperfield: One of the most adapted works of Dickens. It was made into a film in 1911, 1913, 1922, 1935, 1969, 1993, 1999, 2000, and 2019. They were all titled David Copperfield except for 2019's The Personal History of David Copperfield.

The Death of Poor Joe: A 1901 silent film.

Dombey and Son: A 1917 silent film. It was also adapted into a television series.

Great Expectations: Another one of Dickens most adapted works. There was a movie released called Great Expectations in 1917, 1934, 1946, 1974, 1998, 1999, and 2012. Additionally, a 1955 Hong Kong film called An Orphan's Tragedy was loosely based on the book and Fitoor is a 2016 Indian Hindi adaptation. The book has also been made into a television series three times.

Hard Times: Made into a film in 1915 and in 1988.

Little Dorrit: Adapted into a film in 1920, 1924, 1934, and 1987. It was also made into a TV series.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Despite being unfinished by Dickens, it has been made into two films (1935 and 1993) and multiple television series.

Nicholas Nickleby: There have been five films made of this work. A film called The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby was released in 1947, 1982, and 2001. While a film called Nicholas Nickleby was released in 1912 and 2002.

The Old Curiosity Shop: A film titled The Old Curiosity Shop was released in 1911, 1914, 1921, 1934, 1984, and 2007. There was also a 1975 musical version that was released under the title of Mister Quilp.

Oliver Twist: There have been over 20 versions of this film released. From the kid friendly Oliver & Company (1988) to the adult drama Twist (2021).

The Pickwick Papers: Five versions of this adaptation have been released, starting with a 1913 silent film.

The Signalman: A 1976 adaptation by BBC which was based on a short story by Dickens called "The Signal-Man".

A Tale of Two Cities: There have been six movies released titled A Tale of Two Cities, released in 1911, 1917, 1922, 1935, 1958, and 1980. There is also The Only Way (1927) which was based on a play that itself was based on A Tale of Two Cities.

Related Authors

Fans of Charles Dickens also enjoy these authors:

1. George Orwell, author of: 1984.
2. Jane Austen, author of: Pride and Prejudice.
3. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of: The Great Gatsby.
4. Aldous Huxley, author of: Brave New World.
5. Ernest Hemingway, author of: The Old Man and the Sea.
6. Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of: The Secret Garden.
7. Virginia Woolf, author of: To the Lighthouse.
8. E.M. Forster, author of: A Room with a View.
9. Elena Ferrante, author of the Neapolitan Series.
10. P.G. Wodehouse, author of the Jeeves Series.

Charles Dickens: F.A.Q