Dickens and Staplehurst: A Biography of a Rail Crash - Softcover

Dickens, Gerald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1788308514 ISBN 13: 9781788308519

Publisher: Olympia Publishers, 2021

Synopsis

The Staplehurst rail crash of June 9th, 1865 which claimed ten lives, might have passed relatively unnoticed but for the presence of a celebrity passenger among the survivors. Charles Dickens, returning from France on the ill-fated boat train from Folkestone to London, was to be profoundly affected by the experience. In a fascinating exploration of the circumstances surrounding the disaster and probing insight into Dickens' personal life, the writer's great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens, examines his secret relationship with the actress Ellen Ternan and professional motivation in the years either side of the accident. Questions concerning the conduct of the inquest into the crash and apportioning of blame are raised that remain unresolved even today. Striking parallels are drawn with more recent disasters and the signs of wrestling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are evident in the account of Dickens' final years, powerfully reflected in the stirring ghost story The Signalman.

Edition details

• Publisher: Olympia Publishers
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1788308514
• ISBN 13: 9781788308519
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 234