The Man Who Invented Christmas
Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, 5:02 p.m.Shepherd Park/Juanita E. Thornton Library
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Book to Screen
In late 1843, Charles Dickens was desperate. Sales of his published works were dwindling and his creditors were demanding payment. He had to do something--fast! What happened after a public speaking event would revive Dickens's career and a holiday season.
In The Man Who Invented Christmas, author Les Standiford tells the story of how Dickens wrote the novella A Christmas Carol in six weeks. At the time Dickens wrote his story, Christmas wasn't the holiday that we know today. Dickens drew his personal life experiences for the novella. When he finished, his publisher wouldn't take it. With the little money he had left, Dickens paid for the publication of his new story. The risk was worth it: readers in Great Britain and the United States loved it. Christmas became a more vibrant holiday. Although Dickens wrote additional Christmas themed short stories, A Christmas Carol has remained one of his best-known works. It has been adapted for the stage, radio, and screen.
Les Standiford's book The Man Who Invented Christmas is the basis of a new movie by the same name in theaters on November 22.
In The Man Who Invented Christmas, author Les Standiford tells the story of how Dickens wrote the novella A Christmas Carol in six weeks. At the time Dickens wrote his story, Christmas wasn't the holiday that we know today. Dickens drew his personal life experiences for the novella. When he finished, his publisher wouldn't take it. With the little money he had left, Dickens paid for the publication of his new story. The risk was worth it: readers in Great Britain and the United States loved it. Christmas became a more vibrant holiday. Although Dickens wrote additional Christmas themed short stories, A Christmas Carol has remained one of his best-known works. It has been adapted for the stage, radio, and screen.
Les Standiford's book The Man Who Invented Christmas is the basis of a new movie by the same name in theaters on November 22.
~Elisa Babel, Adult Librarian
