Sir, – Eileen Battersby admirably captured Charles Dickens’s unique combination of being both a “consummate storyteller” and a “showman extraordinaire” (An Irishwoman’s Diary, February 7th).
As “Dickens 200” goes into overdrive, one of the more novel activities is that of the British culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who bestowed on his cabinet colleagues the gift of a work by Charles Dickens, tailored to their character and portfolio.
Would that our own Jimmy Deenihan followed suit, then the likes of Hard Times(or Great Expectationsfor his Merkozy interludes) could adorn the shelves of Enda Kenny's library, while Oliver Twistcould nestle comfortably at either Michael Noonan's or Brendan Howlin's bedside, as they ask us yet again for "some more". Maybe we will also give them each a copy of A Christmas Carol, so that they can sing from the same hymn sheet ad infinitum (or at least for another four years) on budget day. Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett would be a shoo-in for Bleak House, while A Tale of Two Cities, with its prescient first lines, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of time, it was the age of reason, it was the age of foolishness", should be recommended reading for all at Leinster House.
Dickens certainly had no time for bankers, describing them as “sleek, slobbering, bow-paunched, overfed, apoplectic, snorting cattle”. Sound familiar? – Yours, etc,