Comic:Charles Dickens, the talented storyteller
【明報專訊】“ Pat: Hey, Bill. What are you up to? ”
“ Bill: I'm just popping my favourite snack into my mouth. ”
“ Bill: Do you know some fun facts about potato chips? ”
“ Pat: Tell me! Tell me! ”
“ Bill: Charles Dicken was the first writer to mention potato chips in a book. It was in 1859. ”
“ Pat: Yum yum, anymore funny stories? ”
◆Know more
Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870) was a British writer, editor, journalist and publisher. He wrote 15 novels, many short stories and a handful of plays in his lifetime. He had his own magazine. Some of his novels such as A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist are still popular today.
In order to help support his family, he received little formal education and started working in a factory when he was only 12. Later, he worked as a journalist and an editor. In many of his books, he wrote about social issues and poor people. A Christmas Carol is Dickens's most popular book in the United States and bailed himself out of his temporary financial crisis.
■English highway﹕To bail someone out
'To bail someone out' is a phrasal verb which means 'to help someone who is in difficulty', usually by giving them money.
e.g. He asked his friends to bail him out?
■Glossary
novel (n) 小說
lifetime (n) 一生
formal (adj) 正式的
crisis (n) 危機
[Smarties' Power English 第305期]