Charles Dickens' story 'A Christmas Carol' has almost become an ingrained part of our holiday celebrations in the Western world. There have been countless radio, stage and screen adaptations of the classic story and even a 1973 mime performance starring Marcel Marceau. Mickey Mouse, The Muppets, and Mr Magoo have all featured in versions of the book. Here are some interesting facts about this iconic ghost story.
2. It originally had a much longer title. It was first published as: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost story of Christmas.
3. Dickens first composed the book in his head while on marathon walks around London.
4. Dickens was the first famous writer to give public readings of his books and the first reading was of A Christmas Carol. It took place in Birmingham in front of an audience of 2,000 people. On reading days Dickens had a strange ritual. He'd have two tablespoons of rum mixed with cream for breakfast, have a pint of champagne for tea, and half an hour before going on stage, drink a glass of sherry with a raw egg beaten into it.
4 comments:
Thanks for the reminder, Sharon.
Dickens had a phenomenal work-rate and could be extremely entertaining, but nothing I've read suggests he was very comfortable to be with. So much imaginative energy!
Cheers, Sharon. That right cheered me up.
Hi Penny, I know what you mean. Apparently those night walks of his went on for hours and hours. Still - exercise and the mental capacity to create stories of such complexity in your mind before writing it down? Pretty amazing wasn't it. :)
Hi Steve, interesting man wasn't he. I would think that extraordinary brain of his got pretty burnt out at times. I LOVE the diet he chose on his reading days. He must have been pretty "loose" by the time he got on stage. Haha
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