In DICKENS, acclaimed actor and writer Simon Callow offers a fresh perspective on one of the greatest novelists in the English language, bringing to life Dickens the man in this highly entertaining biography. Though most famous for his great novels of the industrial age, Dickens was one of the first 'celebrity' authors, attracting thousands of fans to his readings both in Britain and across the Atlantic. Not only did he give voice to his vast cast of characters; he was also a dazzling mimic and raconteur, and he wrote, stage-managed and acted in plays for the public. From his early years as a child entertainer in Portsmouth pubs to his reluctant retirement from 'these garish lights', he remained fanatical about the stage. Just months before his death he pointed at a theatre and declared, 'That's what I should have done with my life!' In this short and lively study, Callow reveals an original genius, and offers a compelling insight into a life that was driven as much by performance and showmanship as by literary endeavour. Rather than a dry academic study, here is an accessible introduction to an exuberant and irrepressible talent, whose extraordinary wit and personality crackle off the page.