Michael Hollington is Professor of English at the University of Toulouse-Le Mirail 2 (having retired from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia in 2002). He is editor of Charles Dickens: Critical Assessments (Helm Information 1996).

As Hollington reveals in his introduction, this monumental work (part of Bloomsbury’s ‘Reception of British and Irish Authors in Europe’ series) grew out of Ada Nisbet’s uncompleted ‘International Guide to the Study of Dickens,’ which was itself an outgrowth of her essay in Victorian Fiction: A Guide to Research, ed. By Lionel Stevenson (CH, Jan’65). The 40 essays – on translation, cricital commentary, literary influence, and adaptations – provide fascinating reading as the contributors (each an expert in the field) trace the ups and downs of the novelists reputation, reflecting the changing tastes in literature. The geographic areas included are Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the Slavonic countries, the Baltic, the Balkans, and Hungary. There is also a chapter on film and television. A time line shows the dates of first translations of works into various languages. A 79-page bibliography provides a wealth of sources for further research. Though even the casual student is aware of Dickens’s taking the English-speaking world by storm, this valuable study gives good insight into his international popularity and brings the reader to realize that Dickens was and is a writer of global significance. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.

• Volume ISeries Editor's Preface: Elinor ShafferTimeline: Anthony Cummins and Michael HollingtonIntroduction: Michael HollingtonPart 1: The Reception of Dickens in Germany1 'Dickens in Germany: The Nineteenth Century': Antje Anderson2 'The Reception of Dickens in Germany, 1900-1945': Norbert Lennartz3 'Dickens’s Reception in Germany after 1945': Stefan Welz4 'German Illustrations': Joachim MöllerPart 2: The Reception of Dickens in Russia5 'Dickens in Russia: A Survey': Nina Diakonova6 'Dickens in Leo Tolstoy’s Universe': Galina Alekseeva7 'The Underground Passage: Dickens and Dostoevsky': Michael Hollington8 'Dickens in Twentieth-Century Russia': Emily FinerPart 3: The Reception of Dickens in France9 'A Historical Survey of French Criticism and Scholarship on Dickens': Nathalie Vanfasse10 'Dickens in France: Major Writers': Christine Huguet11 'Dickens’s Illustrations: France and Other Countries': Gilles SoubigouPart 4: The Reception of Dickens in Spain and Portugal12 'The Spanish Dickens: Under Cervantes’s Inevitable Shadow': Fernando Galván and Paul Vita13 'Dickens in Catalan Literature': Sílvia Coll-Vinent and Marcel Ortín14 'Dickens and Galdós': Jeremy Tambling15 'Dickens in Portugal': Maria Leonor Machado de SousaPart 5: The Recpetion of Dickens in Italy16 'Dickens’s Reception in Italy: Criticism': Clotilde de Stasio17 'The Making of a Classic: A Survey of Italian Translations': Alessandro Vescovi18 'Magic Lantern, Magic Realism: Italian Writers and Dickens from the End of the Nineteenth Century to the 1980s': Francesca OrestanoPart 6: Other German- and French-speaking National Traditions19 'Dickens in Austria and German-speaking Switzerland': Herbert Foltinek20 'Boz as Tutor: The Reception of Dickens in Francophone Belgium': Carlene A. Adamson21 'Dickens in French-speaking Switzerland': Neil Forsyth and Martine Hennard Dutheil de la RochèrePart 8: Dutch-speaking National Traditions22 'Dickens’s Reception in the Netherlands': Odin Dekkers23 'Dickens’s Reception in Flanders': Walter VerschuerenBilbiographyVolume IIPart 9: Scandinavian National Traditions24 'The Reception of Charles Dickens in Denmark from the 1830s to the Present': Dominic Rainsford25 'Dickens’s Reception in Finland': H. K. Riikonen26 'The Tale and the Toothpick: On Dickens in Iceland': Astraður Eysteinsson27 'Dickens in Norway': Tore Rem28 'Dickens in Sweden': Ishrat LindbladPart 10: Slavonic National Traditions29 'An Uninterrupted Journey: Seventeen Decades of Dickens Reception in the Czech Lands': Zdenek Beran30 'Dickens in Slovakia': Sona Šnircová31 'The Reception of Dickens in Croatia': Sintija Culjat32 'Dickens and the Disputes Concerning the Polish Novel': Ewa Kujawska-Lis33 'Dickens in Bulgaria': Vladimir TrendafilovPart 11: Baltic National Traditions34 'Dickens in Estonia': Suliko Liiv and Julia Tofantšuk35 'The Reception of Dickens in Latvia': Inara Peneze36 'The Great Victorian Realist and Humanist: The Lithuanian Reception of Dickens': Regina RudaitytePart 12: Balkan National Traditions37 'Dickens in Romania': Monica Bottez38 'Exporting Corinthian Currants, Importing Dickensian Stories: The Reception of Dickens in Greece': Katerina Kitsi-Mitakou and Maria VaraPart 13: The Hungarian National Tradition39 'Dickens in Hungary': Géza MarácziPart 14: The Georgian National Tradition40 'The Artistic World of Charles Dickens in Georgian Literature': Marika OdzeliPart 15: Dickens in European Film and Television41 'Dickens in Film': Grahame Smith42 'Dickens in Television': Pamela AtzoriBibliographyIndex