Modern-day Dickens characters wanted for a charity contest

There is a 300-word limit and one can always fall back upon his prose for inspiration. (File Photo)

A charity founded by Charles Dickens is looking for contemporary characters who “could have provided the basis for one of the author’s classic creations”, The Guardian reported. This contest will be conducted by the Journalists’ Charity, founded by the author in 1864, to celebrate his 150th birth anniversary.

Readers are being asked to send written portraits of a contemporary Dickensian character who could be anyone, and vary from a celebrity to a politician.

There is a 300-word limit and one can always fall back upon his prose for inspiration. Speaking on the competition, Ian Dickens, president of the Dickens Fellowship and the author’s great-great-grandson, was quoted as saying that it was “full of rich potential and modern-day relevance” as the characters created by Dickens are varied.

“Drawn from acute observation of those he knew and those he chanced upon, they connect with the reader because we all recognise elements within them,” he said. “And such rich pickings continue to place themselves firmly in front of us every day, if we bother to stop, listen and imagine. I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Journalists the world over are doing a brilliant job reporting the coronavirus pandemic, but the reality is that many, particularly freelance journalists, are facing an extremely challenging time,” Ramsay Smith, chairman of the Journalists’ Charity, remarked.