Author Talk: Francine Prose, "Five Weeks in the Country"

Darien Library is excited to welcome author, Francine Prose, who will discuss her new book, Five Weeks in the Country, a sharply observed and utterly original reimagining of the summer when Hans Christian Andersen became Charles Dickens’s ill-fated houseguest. With the precision and emotional intelligence that distinguish her work, Prose transforms a peculiar historical episode into a vivid exploration of artistic ambition, ego, family, and the private crises even the most public figures cannot escape. Francine will be in conversation with local editor, Demetra Ganias.

About the Book

In the summer of 1857, when British newspapers warned of an approaching comet about to destroy the earth, an unusual-looking stranger arrived at Charles Dickens’s home, Gad’s Hill, in the countryside outside London. Dickens had met Hans Christian Andersen at a dinner party a decade before and, in a moment of desperation, had invited him to visit.

The visit did not go well. The eccentric Danish author of classic fairy tales, who barely spoke English, outstayed his welcome and alienated the Dickens household, which included nine children. Even the oblivious, self-conscious Andersen sensed the increasing tension between Dickens and his unhappy wife, Catherine, but was slow to understand—or to believe—that Dickens had fallen in love with a young actress appearing in his new play. For Andersen, those five weeks became a cascade of social mistakes and embarrassments, but ultimately a lesson in how life’s most humbling experiences can be transformed into art. 

On her inspiration for the novel, Prose says, “In 1857, Hans Christian Andersen visited Charles Dickens, his wife and nine children in the British countryside for five comically and heartbreakingly awkward weeks. Telling their story seemed like the perfect way to talk about writing, love, marriage, children and two brilliant authors: a public figure in crisis and a houseguest, more at home in his fairy tales than in life, who overstays his welcome.”

About Francine Prose

Francine Prose is the author of twenty-two works of fiction, including The Vixen, Mister Monkey, the New York Times bestseller Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, A Changed Man, and Blue Angel, a finalist for the National Book Award. Her nonfiction includes the modern classic Reading Like a Writer and the acclaimed memoir 1974: A Personal History. A former president of PEN America and a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is widely regarded as one of our most insightful and versatile contemporary writers.

About Demetra Ganias

Demetra Ganias is a sought-after host, public speaking coach, media trainer, and the founder of Ganias Media Lab, a public speaking platform where she uses her expertise to propel clients and transform their careers. In addition, she is an editor for The Local Moms Network — a media company that gives moms the gift of time. Local Moms offers resources, profiles of moms, and an engaging community to get moms through the ups and downs of motherhood.