"The Man Who Invented Christmas" by Les Standiford: a terrific biography

(and twelve reasons why it's a great read)

First of all, its author Les Standiford is a terrific writer, deftly blending history, biography, and cultural analysis to explore the lasting impact of A Christmas Carol. The book was so gripping I devoured it in two sittings.

The author opens up the career dreams and sorrows of one of the world’s most popular authors and reveals how much was at stake for A Christmas Carol becoming a success: Dickens’ literary future depended on it.

Standiford takes us deep into the world of public talks and readings that Dickens loved to do and that could make audiences in their thousands sob because he was such a dynamic, theatrical interpreter of his own work.

The author draws astute connections between the book and Dickens’ personal life, especially his childhood, without ever losing sight of the perfection of A Christmas Carol as a beloved and esteemed work of literature.

You feel Dickens’s suffering and anxiety as he worked like a demon to support his large family, and learn that even a literary superstar struggled with deadlines, exhaustion, bad reviews, and disappointing sales. He even longed to quit or escape—or both.

London comes brilliantly alive here, especially in the poverty, filth, and ignorance that held tens of thousands of Britons in virtual bondage. Dickens did everything he could to combat these horrible conditions.

You’ll never think of vanity publishing in the same way again, since Dickens paid to have A Christmas Carol designed and printed, and was intimately involved with every aspect of its production.

Like all good author biographies, this one makes you hungry to read more work by the subject. Before I was even done, I ordered a copy of Little Dorritt, which I’ve been wanting to dive into for a very long time.

Christmas is explored for its deep connection to ancient folk celebrations in England, the ways in which its merrymaking was transformed and heightened by the amazing success of A Christmas Carol. And who knew that so many puritanical Britons and Americans felt it was a dangerously rowdy holiday?

Dickens emerges as deeply compassionate and interested in social welfare, bringing to mind the injunction by Swiss philosopher and poet Henry Amiel: “Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”

Given the humiliations Dickens suffered as a child and teenager, the book is bound to make you admire him all the more as an artist and admire the triumph of creativity over misery and degradation.

Standiford thoroughly and lovingly explains how and why Dickens gladdened thousands of hearts in his own day with A Christmas Carol, and millions since in multiple incarnations. His book in its own way could do the same for you or someone you care about. It’s a gift.

Lev Raphael is the author of 27 books ranging from memoir to mystery, including the historical novel Rosedale in Love: The House of Mirth Revisited.

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