Happy Birthday Mr Dickens

February 7th is Charles Dickens birthday... or it would have been if he was still alive. And if he was it would have been a rather large celebration as he celebrated his bicentennary - that's 200 years and still going strong.

Today Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) is still one of the best-loved authors in English Literature. Even Keith Richards is a fan and many people refer to him as the Greatest Novelist of English Literature. The Dictionary of British Literary Characters lists nearly a thousand characters created by him (the exact number is 989). Auckland Libraries can help your explore his world both in print, audio and through the adaptations of his books into films and TV. There are books by him and books about him... over 1,000 of them when I do a search of our catalogue (click this link to see the search results to start your search or narrow it down using the options on the right hand side). Whether you are a child or adult, you can enter Dickensian England and France.

Auckland Libraries are celebrating his birthday with a special event in the Whare Wananga on Level 2 of the Central City Library. Join us between 5.30 and 7.00 pm as we toast the great man (courtesy of Glengarry). Nicholas Reid (reviewer, academic, author, film critic) will propose the toast and will suggest why Dickens has his critics and why he has outlasted them. He will be ably assisted by fellow Dickens fans Iain Sharp and Karen Craig. Be enlightened! Be entertained! Pit your wits against our Dickens quiz!