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Pictures from Italy

charles dickens kate flint

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A delightful travelogue in the unique style of one of the greatest writers in the English language

In 1844, Charles Dickens took a break from novel writing to travel through Italy for almost a year and Pictures from Italy is an illuminating account of his experiences there. He presents the country like a magic-lantern show, as vivid images ceaselessly appear before his - and his readers' - eyes. Italy's most famous sights are all to be found here - St Peter's in Rome, Naples with Vesuvius smouldering in the background, the fairytale buildings and canals of Venice - but Dickens's chronicle is not simply that of a tourist. Avoiding preconceptions and stereotypes, he portrays a nation of great between grandiose buildings and squalid poverty, and between past and present, as he observes everyday life beside ancient monuments. Combining thrilling travelogue with piercing social commentary, Pictures from Italy is a revealing depiction of an exciting and disquieting journey. In her introduction, Kate Flint discusses nineteenth-century travel writing, and Dickens's ideas about perception, memory and Italian politics. This edition also includes a chronology, further reading, notes and an appendix. 

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1846

This edition

Format
220 pages, Paperback
Published
January 29, 1998 by Penguin Classics
ISBN
9780140434316
ASIN
0140434313
Language
English

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About the author

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charles dickens

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Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870) was a writer and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.

Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.

Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.

On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.

(from Wikipedia)

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
indigo_dreamer
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Charles Dickens was travelling with a group of vaguely identified comrades how much of what he wrote was personal or was it a joint effort. If he looked into the perpetuity of an insular people and the consequent degradation of whole communities. Dickens could surely have pointed the finger at what needed to be fixed. The Italians were governed by their past so reducing the power of the institutions was required. I am not interested in buildings more the people who surround them. This book to me is almost complete
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JoshyBoiWoshy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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The first half was a little on the dry side, but by the halfway mark things were picking up. Dickens can imbue buildings with personalities, and that is what stands out here, along with his observation of ridiculous people.
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bengal0
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I almost finished this book, almost made myself read this disrespectful trail of words. Travel in the 19th century was not only difficult but dangerous. Why travel to a country where you have no intention of being respectful, thoughtful, meditative, expansive.

I'm done.
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Chaserdoo77
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I am planning a trip to Italy and found this book on our bookshelves. I was bored reading Dickens' descriptions (and I am a Dickens fan), but was even less impressed with the collage artwork.
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Xstr
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Το γλέντι και η τιμωρία, δύο εικόνες της Ιταλίας του 19ου αιώνα, όπως τις έζησε και τις κατέγραψε ο Ντίκενς.
Προσεγμένη και αξιόλογη έκδοση.
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AnjaliTOT
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Read this in Italy, was really looking forward to it but sadly I couldn’t get into it at all. Will stick to his fiction
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Girisajin
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Κι εκεί που λες ότι διάβασες απλώς ένα καλαίσθητο βιβλιαράκι (εξαιρετική η έκδοση από την Κίχλη και η μετάφραση του Γιάννη Παλαβού) που περιλαμβάνει δύο περιγραφές για σεμινάριο (του καρναβαλιού στη Ρώμη και ενός δημόσιου αποκεφαλισμού στην ίδια πόλη) από ένα -μάλλον άγνωστο στο ελληνικό κοινό- ταξιδιωτικό έργο του Ντίκενς, έρχεται μια φράση στην τελευταία σελίδα που πραγματικά σε συνταράζει:

«Ο δήμιος -ένας εγκληματίας με τη βούλα του κράτους (τι ειρωνεία για τη Δικαιοσύνη!), ο οποίος τρέμοντας για τη ζωή του, δεν τολμά να διασχίσει τη γέφυρα Σάντ' Άντζελο παρά μόνο για να κάνει τη δουλειά του - ξαναγύρισε στο λαγούμι του και η παράσταση έλαβε τέλος.»
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