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Pasiones públicas, emociones privadas
Charles Dickens fue periodista antes que novelista, y su éxito como escritor de ficción nunca lo apartó de una labor que adoraba. Desde que, siendo adolescente, se iniciara como reportero parlamentario, publicó más de cuatrocientos artículos en prensa, fundó y editó dos semanarios y cultivó los géneros más la sátira y la farsa, el melodrama y la estampa costumbrista, la opinión y el ensayo breve.Con varios artículos inéditos en castellano, esta cuidada selección, traducida y comentada por Dolores Payás, pretende acercar al lector contemporáneo el colosal legado periodístico de Dickens, poco conocido en el ámbito hispanohablante. En estas páginas conviven, en perfecta armonía, el poeta y el humorista, el escritor insomne y el cronista belicoso, el paseante empedernido y el amante de los cementerios solitarios. Lejos de ser una mera crónica de la Inglaterra victoriana, estos textos nos hablan de cuestiones, públicas y privadas, que resuenan con un inquietante eco de puritanismo trasnochado, charlatanería política y populismo, leyes chapuceras, intromisión del Estado en la vida privada, pobreza y exclusión social; temor a la soledad, a la enfermedad y a la muerte.El resultado es un conjunto fascinante y vivaz, lírico y reflexivo, lleno de emoción y de una comicidad descacharrante. Dickens en estado puro. Una lectura imprescindible.
420 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 2024
About the author
Charles Dickens
12.7k books31.9k followersCharles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 22, 2026
Dickens nunca me chamou a atención. Será por como nos educan en que o realismo é aburridamente didáctico ou porque na carreira nos sobrecargan a obras e información que non asimilei de maneira correcta. Pero o que está claro é que o que os meus estudos non souperon facer, Dolores Payás si soupo.
Esta obra recopila dunha maneira impresionante os artigos de Dickens, enganchándome a saber que pensaba sobre o seguinte tema e facendo que quixera saber cada vez máis. Aspectos completamente descoñecidos para min, problemas que non sabía que aínda existían no século XIX e como afectaba a industrialización non só á xente senón ao sistema enteiro é algo do que podes aprender só con esta selección de textos.
A miña parte favorita foi a ironía, por suposto, aínda que diría que o fin do libro é algo amargo: deixoume querendo investigar máis sobre a súa vida para intentar entender certa toma de decisións .
Encantoume o desexo da tradutora/editora de facer visible esa figura que moitas veces se omite e que tan importante é, pois é quen nos fai de ponte entre un idioma e outro, ademais de que (conscientemente ou non) inflúe na obra.
En conclusión, moi recomendado. Se non lle poño toda a puntuación é porque foi tan pouco ficción cara o final que sentín que me estaban explicando dez tesis ao mesmo tempo e o meu cerebro colapsou.
Esta obra recopila dunha maneira impresionante os artigos de Dickens, enganchándome a saber que pensaba sobre o seguinte tema e facendo que quixera saber cada vez máis. Aspectos completamente descoñecidos para min, problemas que non sabía que aínda existían no século XIX e como afectaba a industrialización non só á xente senón ao sistema enteiro é algo do que podes aprender só con esta selección de textos.
A miña parte favorita foi a ironía, por suposto, aínda que diría que o fin do libro é algo amargo: deixoume querendo investigar máis sobre a súa vida para intentar entender certa toma de decisións .
Encantoume o desexo da tradutora/editora de facer visible esa figura que moitas veces se omite e que tan importante é, pois é quen nos fai de ponte entre un idioma e outro, ademais de que (conscientemente ou non) inflúe na obra.
En conclusión, moi recomendado. Se non lle poño toda a puntuación é porque foi tan pouco ficción cara o final que sentín que me estaban explicando dez tesis ao mesmo tempo e o meu cerebro colapsou.
September 4, 2025
Ha sido el primer libro que he leído sobre Charles Dickens. Sin duda es un muy buen libro introductorio a su obra, ya que contiene artículos escritos por él en su faceta periodística. Son increíbles las descripciones que Dickens nos ofrece de la ciudad de Londres a medidados del siglo XIX, especialmente de las problemáticas sociales que imperaban en aquel momento (prostitución, pobreza, presos, criados...etc). Sin duda, en algunos momentos, era como si una cámara grabara la vida del Londres victoriano en directo. Los capítulos del libro son muy cortos, ya que se trata de artículos de 5 o 10 páginas como mucho, están agrupados de manera temática y los precede una pequeña introducción de la traductora que los pone en contexto para que puedas entenderlo.
Muy recomebdable si te interesa la inglaterra victoriana de mitad del siglo XIX y las condiciones de extrema vulnerabilidad de la población londinense de aquella época, así como sus gustos, sus pasiones y sus deseos.
Muy recomebdable si te interesa la inglaterra victoriana de mitad del siglo XIX y las condiciones de extrema vulnerabilidad de la población londinense de aquella época, así como sus gustos, sus pasiones y sus deseos.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews