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Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World Audiobook
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(4.04) - 73 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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 Dickens—a man who “could do nothing by halves”—should possess. . . . The best biography for Dickens newcomers and a wonderful read for all."—Library Journal 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 Dickens’s 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.
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"I have seen Simon Callow's one man show of Charles Dickens. He looks as you imagine Dickens, he talks convincingly and now, in this book he gives you some fabulous insights into Dickens. I was given this book on a special birthday and have been reading it gradually, savouring it. loved it!"
— Keith (5 out of 5 stars)
Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World Listener Reviews
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" Fabulous background for those (like me) interested in Charles Dickens' frenetic life "
— Eileen, 1/15/2014 -
" If you like Dickens, this gives you some idea of what he was like and the regard in which he was held during his life. I learnt, for example that he did quite a bit of acting. Certainly worth it for fans of his work. "
— gargravarr, 12/25/2013 -
" listened twice and have it stored in my 're-read treasure chest' "
— Bettie, 5/4/2013 -
" Delightfully Dickensian literary biography of Dickens himself--shorter than the Tomalin, with a different bent than Jane Smiley's Penguin Lives entry. Illuminating and amusing, and the British package is wicked adorable on my cubicle bookshelf. "
— Emily, 4/22/2013 -
" I'm a lover of the biography in all its forms, but it has been a while since I have enjoyed a book of its kind as much as this. Callow writes with insight and enthusiasm, and I am fired to revisit Dickens. "
— Christopher, 12/8/2012
About Simon Callow
Simon Callow is an actor, director, and writer. He has appeared in many films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral. He made his stage debut in 1973 and came to prominence in a critically acclaimed performance as Mozart in the original stage production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the Royal National Theatre in 1979. He is well known for a series of one-man shows that have toured internationally and featured subjects including Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Jesus, and Richard Wagner. His books include, among others, a highly acclaimed biography of Charles Laughton, a biographical trilogy on Orson Welles, and My Life in Pieces, which won the Sheridan Morley Prize in 2011.