Listen to Neil Gaiman read ‘A Christmas Carol’
When it comes to blending dark fantasy, horror and science-fiction in a novel, no one does it quite like Neil Gaiman. The English author does not only write great literature, but he also reads it for others to enjoy in audio sounds. In 2013, Gaiman read the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, a chilling yet crucial cautionary tale about how greed and resentment can cause blindness towards spirit, love and celebration.
A Christmas Carol was published on December 19th, 1843, following a period where Britain explored and re-assessed traditional Christmas traditions such as carol singing and newer ones. Dickens also channelled his childhood experiences and opinions of the season into his writing. A Christmas Carol was sold out by Christmas Eve, with readers being unable to tear away from the story of a resentful older man being visited by four spirits. The first one was his former partner, and the next three represented Christmas past, present and future, causing him to re-evaluate his treatment of the poor and others. It has since become a staple in Christmas traditions, literature and culture. Furthermore, it stands as one of the most adapted pieces of literature, with 37 total feature adaptations, either straight adaptations or loosely inspired, with 25 live-action films and 12 animated efforts. There have also been 31 television versions of the Dickens story and numerous theatre and audio adaptations.
Gaiman’s take on A Christmas Carol was a straightforward reciting of the original work at The New York Public Library in 2013. Gaiman dressed for the occasion, as he had been all transformed into a Dickens lookalike thanks to the brilliant talent of makeup artist Jeni Ahlfeld. In addition, Gaiman reads from a scarce version of A Christmas Carol, which can be found in its home of The New York Public Library.
BBC researcher and author Molly Oldfield introduced the writer to his audience. “New York was the first place I visited when I decided to write The Secret Museum,” Oldfield shared (via NYPL). “The Library’s Berg Collection of English and American Literature was kind enough to show me some of their literary treasures that belonged to one of England’s greatest writers: Charles Dickens.” Oldfield also took the time to share some intimate and unknown facts about Dickens: “We’re really lucky that the object I wrote about in The Secret Museum is on display today… it’s a letter opener, a very special feline letter opener made out of the paw of Dickens’s beloved pet cat Bob.”
“Now, Dickens had at least three cats. The first one was called William until Dickens realised that she was actually a girl and renamed her Williamina,” Oldfield revealed. “Williamina had kittens, and Dickens kept one which he called The Master’s Cat, that used to snuff out his candle to catch his attention. A third cat was called Bob, after Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s overworked clerk in A Christmas Carol.”
Gaiman then gave an hour-and-a-half reading of the novel, sharing the Christmas spirit with the NYPL through one of the greatest festive stories of all time.
Hear Gaiman’s reading of A Christmas Carol below.
