“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” The words are timeless, they could apply to the world today. But of course, they were written over 150 years ago by Charles Dickens, in his masterpiece “A Tale of Two Cities.” If he were still alive, Charles Dickens would be turning 200 in just a few months. But beyond being a great writer, and a champion of the poor – who was Charles Dickens? Claire Tomalin delves into this question in her new book “Charles Dickens: A Life.”
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