For decades after Dickens’ death, The Pickwick Papers remained his most beloved book. It has largely fallen off the map, but once you’ve read Pickwick, you see how crucial it is to the Dickens canon.
Books
Counting Down Dickens’ Greatest Novels. Number 8: Hard Times
Dickens’ shortest novel is very taut, and occasionally some sharp little passage arrives that reminds you of his more expansive greatness.
Counting Down Dickens’ Greatest Novels. Number 9: Dombey and Son
When the death scene in Dombey and Son was published, all of England was apparently prostrated by grief.
Counting Down Dickens’ Greatest Novels. Number 10: Oliver Twist
“Please sir, I want some more”
Oliver Twist was Dickens’ second novel, and my first. My grandmother read it to me and my sister when we were young. We loved the part when meek little orphan Oliver, born out of wedlock in …
Why to Read Dickens Now (Or Watch Him on TV)
Starting tomorrow, Jan. 27, we will blog his ten best novels. Why don’t you follow along with us?
At India’s Jaipur Literary Festival, Oprah and the Tiger Mom, But No Salman Rushdie
Ten Things To Watch, Read and Listen To: Jan. 23-29
Every Monday, for your planning purposes, we will lay out the week ahead in entertainment. (All times refer to EST.)
1. Oscar Nominations Announced
Tuesday morning at 8:30 am, Winter’s Bone and Hunger Games star Jennifer …
See All of TIME’s Best of Lists on the Populist iPad App
In mid-October, when we re-launched this entertainment site, we also struck out into the wild world of tablet apps.
TIME Populist, available for the iPad (download here), took all of the Top 10, 15, 25 and 100 lists that we …
Dickens Turns 200 This Year. We Will Blog His Ten Best Books
For the magazine this week, I wrote a piece about the legacy of Charles Dickens. He was a fascinating character on many fronts (Lev Grossman thought so too, after reading a couple of recent biographies), but what interests me, on …
Great Celebrations: 6 Ways to Ring In Dickens’ Bicentennial
As the legendary novelist’s 200th birthday (February 7) approaches, we highlight the most notable commemorations.
On Set with Celebrity Photographer Jack Robinson
A new book from Trafalgar Square Publishing showcases 150 photographs, originally published in Vogue magazine, of cultural icons such as Joni Mitchell, Andy Warhol and Jack Nicholson. Between the years of 1958 and 1972, Robinson …
I Was a Teenage Samuel Beckett: Or, My Literary Biography Problem
(Lev Grossman writes about books here on Wednesdays. Subscribe to his RSS feed.)
I got my first whiff of what big-time adult literature was all about when I was in 8th grade. I got it from Mark Linn-Baker. You know — the guy …
The Nonsense of an Ending: In Defense of the Middles of Books
(Lev Grossman writes about books here on Wednesdays. Subscribe to his RSS feed.)
My plan for a books column this week was to write about the endings of novels. I swear to God it was – I can show you the notes. But my friend …