Charles Dickens
was 31 and the author of six major works when he became outraged by the working conditions of children. With the hope that he could move more readers to action, he wrote
A Christmas Carol
in 6 weeks. But even with a sold-out publishing run, the funds available were insufficient now that his wife was pregnant with their fifth child. Dickens loved the theatre and took to reading
to audiences. The novella soon gained fame, and millions of copies have been sold making the phrase "Merry Christmas" universal.
Note from the author:
"About twenty years ago, Jake Correll asked me to direct
in the Courthouse Theatre. But the theatre was only available for two days, and we needed four performances to break even. And thus ... the hour-long version was born. It has charmed audiences ever since." -ABH
About the Author:
In addition to this illustrated edition of
, Sentia has published three other books by Andrew B. Harris (
Four Plays
) and
World Theatre
(in two volumes)
.
Prize-winning books include
The Performing Set
(UNT Press) and
Broadway Theatre
(Routledge). Dr. Harris has chaired theatre departments at SMU, TCU, and Columbia University. A UNT Professor Emeritus, he is an alumnus of the University of Chicago and New Dramatists. The Harrises make their home in McKinney, Texas.