Dickens was a great reader of his own work. His readings from David Copperfield lasted about two hours. He had to plan these readings out very carefully because he had time to fill. So what we have here, which is in the sale, is Dickens' attempts to distill David Copperfield into a two-hour reading. It's probably about 15 centimetres by, well actually I have no idea how big anything is, but I would say 15 by 8. Yes, he breaks it down into six chapters. And in that way, his prose is remarkable for lending itself to performance.
Join Simon Callow as he shares his infectious enthusiasm and profound knowledge of Charles Dickens in this conversation produced in partnership with Sotheby’s. As an acclaimed actor who has portrayed the author and written a biography about him, Callow is an authority on Dickens' eccentricities and literary genius. In conversation with novelist Kate Mosse and Sotheby's books specialist David Goldthorpe, he shares personal anecdotes and explores Dickens' transformative storytelling through key texts – including a fascinating handwritten reading text of David Copperfield featured in Sotheby’s upcoming auction – revealing how the great author has shaped his life and career.
This event was recorded on 11 July 2023 as part of Sotheby’s Book Week, held to mark a series of sales taking place in London, Paris and New York from 4-20 July featuring literature, illustrations and musical manuscripts that span continents and centuries. The London auction will take place on Thursday 20 July. Please visit sothebys.com to find out more.
This conversation was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye and edited by Producer Catharine Hughes.
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