Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

Martin Chuzzlewit is suspicious - and with good reason. His relatives think he's dying and they're flocking to his side from near and far in eager anticipation of inheriting his vast wealth. Their greed and selfishness has made him a misanthrope, and when he finds his namesake grandson romancing his ward, the old man's wrath drives young Martin off to America to seek his fortune.
Dickens' declared this, his sixth novel, as "immeasurably the best of my stories." The scheming Mr. Pecksniff, the corrupt Mrs. Gamp, the criminal Jonas Chuzzlewit, and other vividly realized characters populate this powerful black comedy, which features a parody of American mores and manners inspired by the author's 1842 visit to the United States. A captivating tale of hypocrisy and redemption, the novel is distinctive among Dickens' work for its combination of antic humor, searing satire, and lively melodrama.

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) var þekktur enskur skáldsagnahöfundur og samfélagsgagnrýnandi, almennt talinn einn af merkustu rithöfundum Viktoríutímans. Dickens fæddist í Portsmouth á Englandi og upplifði erfiða æsku, sem einkenndist af fjárhagserfiðleikum, sem síðar hafði áhrif á mikið af skrifum hans. Dickens öðlaðist frægð með raðmyndasögum og varð þekktur fyrir hæfileika sína til að sameina húmor, mikla félagslega athugun og djúpt mannlegar persónur. Verk hans varpa ljósi á baráttu fátækra, galla stofnanakerfa og mikið misræmi á milli þjóðfélagsstétta í Englandi á 19. öld. Í dag er Dickens ekki aðeins fagnað fyrir sannfærandi frásagnir heldur einnig fyrir varanleg áhrif hans á bókmenntir og samfélag.