The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-04
CHARLES DICKENS,JR,
An 0ff-Hand Chat With the Son
of the Great Novelist.
HIS SISTERS AND BROTHERS
A Poor Opinion Of Novel and Poetry Writing
for a LiyelihoOd-The Day for
Short Stories.

LONDON, Sept. 1O.-special correspondent of
THE SUNDAY HERALD.-I am a busy man,
and have not much time for interviews, but if
you will come to the Office Of AL tie Year Round
Tomorrow at noon, Will be glad to see you.
CHARLES DICKENS.
So ran letter that came to me to-day
from the son of the great novelist, young
Charles Dickens, as he is still called,
though he is no longer young. 1t was in
reply to Ia request for chat with him on
literary topics.
MIR. Dickens is not man who would at
tract attention in a crowd. he is not i'm
posing in appearance. He looks like lit
erary man. His shoulders stoop and he
Jocks at the visitor quizzically through gold
trimmed spectRcles. He was seated at his
desk hard at work when | called. He wore
rather rakish deer stalker hat and a
loose lifting suit Of blue clothing. His
manner was rather abrupt, but before ]
had been s. eaking to him for tlve minutes,
discovered that he possessed a vein of dry
humor, both genial and pleasant. The of
flee Of AL the Year Round IS a somewhat
dingy corner shop, which, however, is fire.
quently enlivened by the passage through
1t OF various young ladies, engaged in Miss
Dickens typewriting establishment which
has its Offices on the same premises. MIR
Dickens editorial Office is situated on the
first floor. 1t is somewhat meagerly fur
nished, and there is an unmistakable air Of
hard work about it.
NIB. DICKENS is NO TOY EDITOR.
Having installed myself in a chair with
particularly hard seat, l proceeded tc
cross examine the son of the great novel
isj.
''In the first place would you tell me
what the various members of the Dickens
family are doing at presentr'
Gladly, was the reply. People con
tnually write 10 know what my sisters
and brothers are about, and | am glad to
be able to let them know in this way. My
sister Mary, the second of the family, is
unmarried and manages a type-wrlting
establishment in this very building. My
second sister, Catherine Elizabeth Mac
ready, married Carlo Pelligrini. the artist
and is an artist herself, as you may know
My elder sister does not do any literary
work. She edited my fathers letters, but
at present she has nothing to do with lit
erature. ! have two brothers in Australia
The elder, Alfred Tennyson, is in business
as merchant in Melbourne. The youngest
Edward Bulwer Lytton, is connected with
the sheep farming interest, and is mem
Der Of the New South Wales parliament
have also another brother in London
large practice at the bar. Those OF
my brothers who are dead were
Walter Lander, Sydney Smith, Francis
Jeffrey, the latter OF whom died a. Mo
line, Ill, and is buried there on the
beautiful bluff overlooking the Missis
sippi All my brothers were named after
literary men. My second sister was named
after Macready, the actor. With regard
70 myself, / edit All the Year Round anC
Household Words as well. / have also
large printing business, and in the winter
travel all over the country, giving read
tngs from my fathers works, the same a!
gave in America. They are those that h,
used TO read himself.n
do your fathers works sell now, Mr.
Dickensln
II think they do, but l cannot say fol-
certain. l have nothing to do with them
the copyright does not belong TO US: they
were sold after my fathers death by the
executors. But they do sell well, undoubt
edly."
"a good many of the copyrights hav,
Eyes, think all the copyrights down tt
David Copperfeld' have expired. That i
not out yet. L don't know exactly when i
will be, but think next year,
Did your father leave anything I'm.
printedl"
"No, he left no papers at all, although /
40 O4bSn E6pOEbSu IuhI u6 ulu. he QHQ
quantity OF letters from eminent people bu
be burnt them all. He did not keep them
When say none, there were so few tina
there were practically none.'
And his library!'
at was not very remarkable library
and it was sold. 1t was merely a usefu
enc. My father was not a collector o
books. liz was a very good collection o
fiction and general literature, that wa
all"
The conversation then drifted into an
other channel
How do you think public taste is tend
ing as regards fiction or story tellings"
Il think the public is getting to take {
their fiction in small doses. They haven
time TO read much. This is a very bus
age. And novel to sell must be strong.
don't think people buy book because it i
sold for shilling. Any book will sell we
If it has good name to it.''
do you think novelists have as good
chance now as they did when your fathe
wrot gu
what do you mean by novelists. D
you mean Dickens or an ordinary writer c
fctionl''
Take fairly clever writer of fiction fo
example"
II think such one had better chanc
then than now. There is more demand fo
that class Of work, but on the other han
there are great many more people TO SUI
ply that demand"
Women believe do great deal of thi
work in Englandl'
''Yes, q very great deal. / believe tbs
women can do just as well as men excer
when they are impeded by their physic,
weakness. They are not suited for pres
srnrk eimplv on this arooprt Thau