Charles Dickens: tweets talks and reads...

Once again, we’re delighted to welcome back to Bexley our own very, very special guest Blogger, Mr Charles Dickens. (Mr Dickens wrote a short but very well received piece for us back in February, and now he’s back again to join in the London-wide City Read celebrations, a Dickensian feast of fiction and fun…)

Despite being 200 years old this year, Mr Dickens has kindly agreed to write up his `very humble’ little blog for us this month, and – as something of a coup for us – answer any questions that you may wish to pose to him.






So, without further ado…Over to you, Mr D…

Splendid, splendid!



Thank you, Mr Blogbwawian and weaders of this little blog for inviting me back for another appeawance … (See the 6th Febwuawy). I am, indeed, as my own Uwiah Heap would have phwased it, “so vewy, vewy `umble”; I shall endeavour to update this particular page weekly thwoughout Apwil.






And how delightful it is to be back here, bwoadcasting to good old Bexley…I must nip back down to Hall Place vewy soon, to weacquaint myself with its splendid suwwoundings (not many people know this, but I based much of my `Dotheboys Hall’ in Nicholas Nickleby upon this particular institution…)






Ah, me!...How I do love to weminisce…


Now, to business!






`Pon my soul, how extwaordinawy, but I note that your esteemed Libraries are - (as part of a grand Cityweads extwavaganza) - staging a cornucopia of activities, events, and public lectures based upon the life and works of – ahem – one Mr Charles Dickens of London & Kent; do take a look and obtain your tickets (for although I shall not, alas, be able to be there in person, I shall – indisputably - be there in spiwit). I would most vigowously urge you to attend.






Meantimes, as before, I shall be here, alert, poised, quill in hand, ink-jar fully charged, lap-top pwimed, weady to answer any of your pwobing questions or litewawy conundwums.






Just use the comments box below, and “Ask Charlie!” (And, do you know, now I have mastered the art, I might just tweat myself to a Tweet!)

Mr Dickens’ own Bexley Blogbwawy – a vewy special guest appeawance.

It is with exceedingly great pleasure that we introduce a very, very special guest Blogger to the Blogbrary page this week: celebrating his 200th birthday, we’re delighted to welcome Mr Charles Dickens…

Changing Times:




Thank-you indeed; it is with the gweatest imaginable delight that I have been invited now (upon this, the bi-centennial celebwation of my – not unhumble – birth) to bwoadcast to you, beloved Bexley Bowwowers, a specially cwafted message (or “Blog” as those fwightfully bwight young folks clicking away at their scweens call it–Well! My! ‘Pon my Soul! How shares in the quill pen industwy must have plummeted of late!).


I must say, the litewawy world is a vewy diffewent place now, although much does – alas – wemain the same... (angwy fellows with aggwessive bull-nosed hounds, ewwant financiers and a gweat gulf betwixt wich and poor; and, of course, the dear old gwey and gwimy Thames which keeps wolling along your northern exwemities …)






Weading and Libwawies:


However, I am delighted to note that books and weading wemain popular even now – above all, how I envy you your wonderful public libwawies: a stupendously beneficial institution which (I have no hesitation in wemarking upon) would have wevolutionised my own impecunious childhood and subsequent scwibbling caweer…






Additionally, I find it exceedingly comforting to witness what a splendid collection of my own works you have here in Bexley Libwawies – Gweat Expectations, The Old Cuwiosity Shop, Our Mutual Fwiend, Litle Dowwit, even my unfinished Edwin Dwood…capital stuff!


In addition – and bless my whiskewy cheeks! – what a vewitable feast of biogwaphical matewials your libwawy holds upon my own life and times. What larks, eh? (My one word of caution, however, would be to take any scuwwilous publication cwiticising my welationships with the faiwer gender with an amply sized pinch of salt!)


Lastly, I note with no little sense of amazement that electwonic books have awwived via your libwawies, completely bypassing the old fashioned concept of steam-e-weaders. Ah!, the wonders of technology.






“Chat with Charlie” - Fwequently Asked Qwuestions?:


Well, my beloved fwiends, I gwow weawy now; I shall depart. However, mine hosts (those splendid Libwawians who manage this “web page”) have invited me to appear wegularly this year; hence it is my intention to wegale you often with a wange of wight woyal wollickingly weadble weviews thwoughout 2012.


Hence, if you have any qwuestions, cwiticisms or quewies about me, my life, times and work, then do not hesitate – simply contact me by utilising the `comments' facility so cunningly and carefully pwovided below.

I await your cowwespondence with no little sense of twepidation…

Cheewio!

(Mr C Dickens of London, Kent and occasional wambles thwough bits of Bexley).