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11
preference for The Pickwick Papers, or, what he called the Pickwick-club, which he regarded as "het
gezondste en natuurlijkste van zijne [Dickens'] kinderen".3 The audience is strongly recommended to
(re) read this book. More in general Dickens is praised for his imaginative power, his colourful use of
language and his unusual gift of observation. Dickens is also given much credit for the good he has done
by attacking the wrongs in English society, and for the religious vein in his work: "een rijke ader van
gezond, natuurlijk godsdienstig leven".4 Summarising, it may be stated that the journalist of the NvdD
thought of Dickens' work as highly enjoyable, if not belonging to the very top. The fact alone that the
NvdD devoted so much space to the discussion of Dickens' work shows how much it lived in The
Netherlands. The sharp criticism does not alter this.
As has been stated before, other Dutch newspapers agreed that there could be no two ways about Charles
Dickens' fame and popularity in The Netherlands. The Leidsch Dagblad is very explicit about this when it
states: "In gansch Europa zal de deelneming groot zijn en vooral in ons land waar de werken van Dickens
een even eervolle plaats in huiskamer en bibliotheek innemen als onzen onvergetelijke Van Lennep".5
The national newspaper Het Vaderland refers to Dickens' "talrijke vereerders in Nederland".6 The
opening-sentence of the article in memory of Charles Dickens in the Algemeen Handelsblad is also
revealing in this respect.
Het bericht, gisteren door ons onder de telegrammen medegedeeld, zal ontsteltenis
en droefheid verwerkt hebben bij honderden onzer lezers, waarvan velen den dood
van den grooten Engelschen schrijver als een persoonlijk verlies zullen betreuren/
A similar utterance can be found in the Amsterdamsche Courant; it says that Dickens found "vele
vereerders en hoogschatters van zijn talent"8 in The Netherlands. Remarks about Dickens' popularity
which do not directly refer to The Netherlands such as "Charles Dickens was zonder tegenspraak de
meest populaire schrijver van onzen tijd."9 and "dat hem het bijzondere voorregt ten deel viel zijn
roem naar alle oorden der wereld te zien uitbazuinen"10 also imply much about Dickens' fame among the
Dutch.
Contrary to the NvdD, most newspapers did not express doubts about Charles Dickens' greatness or his
continuing fame. The Algemeen Handelsblad, for instance, concludes its article on Dickens from June 12
with the following statement:
Dickens is overleden, doch zijn naam zal eeuwig leven, zolang de Engelsche taal
gelezen wordt, en de menscheid vatbaar blijft voor teedere aandoening en waren
humor.
Another newspaper, the Dagblad van 's Gravenhage, called Dickens "den grootsten romanschrijver onzer
dagen".11 Most newspapers were not so outspoken as the two just mentioned, but in general Dickens'
work was highly praised, while little criticism was expressed. The Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, for
instance, mentioned his shortcomings as writer, but immediately followed it with the remark that it would
be far from them to point out at present the faults of "een zóó fonkelend, zóó beminnelijk en
3 "Charles Dickens 2", NvdD, 21 June 1870, front page.
4 "Charles Dickens 4", NvdD, 24 June 1870, front page
3 Leidsch Dagblad, 13 June 1870.
6 Het Vaderland, 15 June 1870, front page.
Algemeen Handelsblad, 12 June 1870.
O
"Charles Dickens", Amsterdamsche Courant, 11 June, 1870
O
"Charles Dickens" Armemsche Courant, 12 June.
10
"Necrologie", Dagblad van 's Gravenhage, 11 June.
"Necrologie", Dagblad van 's Gravenhage, 11 June.
