Dickens in Europe

Dickens in Europe

The novels of Charles Dickens were translated into many foreign languages during his lifetime, and in 1837 he began to travel abroad regularly to give very successful readings from his own works. Dickens in Europe is his account of these peregrinations through France, Switzerland and Italy. They provide a fascinating perspective on both Dickens and 19th-century Europe. His powers of description are every bit as vivid as we might expect. Whether describing his turbulent arrival in France (‘Malignant Calais! Low-lying alligator, evading the eyesight and discouraging hope!’), the beauty of the bay of Genoa, or his triumph at using his newly mastered Italian in shops, ‘as bold as a lion’, Dickens is always an entertaining and instructive companion.