February 7, 2012 was an important date in the world of arts and literature as that marked the bicentenary of the birth of one of the most well known authors in the Victorian era – Charles Dickens. Born on February 7 1812 in Landport, England, Charles John Huffam Dickens grew up in a working-class family under harsh conditions. At age 12, after his father was thrown into jail for failing to pay off debts, he was forced to work at a blacking factory. This experience later influenced many of his famous novels, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations.
Although Charles Dickens’s work has been around for the last hundred plus years, their influence to contemporary movies, TV and literature in general is still prominent and strongly felt. To celebrate this special and historic occasion, an international celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens called “Dickens 2012” is taking place throughout 2012 in countries all over the world.
On February 7 2012, many special events took place to celebrate the birth of this Victorian writer. For example, Google put out a special “Google Doodle,” featuring characters from some of Dickens’ more famous novels. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip threw a star-studded reception at Buckingham Palace in his honour. Prince Charles and actor Ralph Fiennes, who is starring in the latest film version of Dickens’ masterpiece Great Expectations, attended a wreath laying ceremony in Poets’ Corner at the Westminster Abbey, where Dickens was buried in 1870. That congregation included the largest ever gathering of Charles Dickens’ descendants, with over 200 in attendance. Many public readings of his work also happened on that day. There was even a global “read-a-thon” with 24 readings from 24 Dickens’ writings in 24 hours, starting in Australia and included countries such as Iraq, China and Pakistan.
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