What
The great British novelist Charles Dickens visited Worcester, Mass., twice: in 1842 and again in 1868, when he read from his novels at Mechanics Hall. He returns to the city in the personage of noted Dickensian re-enactor Bert Hornback, who will perform a theatrical reading of Dickens’s work at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The event is sponsored by WPI’s Humanities and Arts Department and will take place in the university’s Gordon Library, which is home to the Robert Fellman Dickens Collection, considered one of the finest such archives in New England. The collection is curated by Joel J. Brattin, professor of literature, who has studied the life and fiction of Dickens for 30 years. He has served as trustee, secretary/treasurer, vice president, and president of the Dickens Society. Brattin has published articles and reviews in such journals as The Dickensian, Dickens Quarterly, and Dickens Studies Annual and contributed articles to the Oxford Companion to Dickens.
Who
Bert Hornback, who has portrayed Charles Dickens for more than 30 years on the international stage, is a leading scholar of British literature. In addition, he has authored and directed plays and written poetry.
When
Monday, Dec. 1, 4-5 p.m.
Where
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Gordon Library, third floor
100 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.
