The design has been chosen for the UK’s first statue of its greatest novelist, Charles Dickens, in spite of his request that there should be no monuments in his honour.
The larger-than-life bronze statue of Dickens reading in a chair will be unveiled in Portsmouth, the writer’s birthplace, next August as part of the celebrations of the bicentenary of his birth.
Martin Jennings, who produced the winning design, is best known for his bronzes of the poets John Betjeman, at London’s St Pancras railway station, and Philip Larkin, in Hull.
The decision to commission the statue was not made without controversy. In his will Dickens wrote: “I conjure to my friends on no account to make me the subject of any monument, memorial or testimonial whatsoever.”
Partly as a result, there has never been a statue of the author in the UK, although such monuments exist in Sydney and Philadelphia.
The final testimony is now interpreted by many, including the writer’s descendants, as a request that he should not have the kind of grand mausoleum popular in Victorian times.
Ian Dickens, great-great-grandson of the author, said the comments in the will must be taken in context.
“He was talking to his friends about his funeral and burial, he talks about the number of mourners and what they should be wearing and the lack of pomp,” he said. “He goes on to talk about not wanting some ghastly memorial and we believe that is in relation to the mausoleums so prevalent in Victorian times. He absolutely didn’t want that.”
Dickens said the maquette produced by Jennings would show the personality of the great writer. “One of the things (the sculptor) wants to communicate… was that the statue conveys Dickens’s sense of creativity, his sparkle, wit and energy,” he said.
The statue was based on a photograph of Dickens reading to his daughters, Mary and Catherine, at his home in Kent. His great-great-grandson said a seated figure would make the statue more approachable. Children will not be discouraged from climbing onto its knee or its pile of books.
“We didn’t want a huge, imposing stand-offish figure.”
Professor Tony Pointon, chairman of the Charles Dickens Statue committee, said £100 000 (R1.1m) was needed to pay for the statue. – The Independent