The great-great-great grandson of Charles Dickens is set to perform a reading of the dramatic murder scene from Oliver Twist, a passage that once 'nearly killed' the celebrated author.
Oliver Dickens to perform at historic venue
Oliver Dickens will deliver the readings at the author's former residence at 48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury, London, which now serves as the Charles Dickens Museum. He described it as a 'great honour' to read two of his ancestor's most famous scenes in the very building where they were penned more than 180 years ago.
The impact of the murder scene
The museum noted that Charles Dickens himself would read extracts from his novels to sellout crowds, but the 'brutal' murder scene featuring Sikes and Nancy in Oliver Twist visibly affected his health. 'Sometimes, after performing it, Dickens was unable to move and notes from his doctors show that Dickens's pulse rate was at its highest after performing Sikes and Nancy, compared with his other readings,' the museum stated.
Reading this violent scene 'nearly killed' Dickens, and his final reading tour was cut short in April 1870 due to health concerns. He died just two months later.
Performance details
Oliver Dickens will be in residence at the museum for Murder & Mayhem: A Dickensian Performance on selected dates in May. Alongside the Oliver Twist reading, he will also perform The Trial of Pickwick from Dickens's first novel, The Pickwick Papers, which was first published in serial form from 1836 to 1837 and was closely followed by Oliver Twist.
Oliver Dickens commented: 'It is a great honour to be sharing scenes from two of my ancestor's best-known works with the museum. The intense chaos surrounding Nancy's murder perfectly complements the farcical order of Pickwick's trial and it is my privilege to share them with everyone at Doughty Street. I hope to see you this spring.'
Historical significance
Dickens lived at 48 Doughty Street from 1837, when he was an unknown author, to 1839, by which time he had become a much-celebrated writer. It is the only surviving London house in which he lived.
Tickets for the readings can be booked via the museum's website and include admission to the museum.
