New Year's and Christmas holidays give us a rare opportunity not only to have a rest in the circle of relatives and friends, but also to devote time for reading in peace and quiet.
Nowadays, even a grown up, who is said to deny all the fantasies and mystics, sincerely wishes to experience miracle. And sometimes these hopes come true at least in books dedicated to this fairytale period. The books of such, as well as theatrical plays and films are countless. But there is one story among them that is read on the Christmas Eve in a great number of families living in different countries and on different continents. "A Christmas song in prose" by Charles Dickens - a book that has become a classic of world literature and has not lost its relevance for over 170 years. This is a story about Christmas miracle and its victorious power that was able to turn the most disgusting and stingy misanthrope into a kind and noble person.
"The only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!' – the exact words the author’s hero says about Christmas.
However, neither these words nor this bright holiday can warm the soul of its main character (unwilling to call him a “hero”). From the very first moments of the story Ebenezer Scrooge does not have any Christmas sentiments at all. His soul is thought to be dead as well as he as human being in general, being constantly confused with his passed away companion, the only thing left of whose is in the name on the sign "Scrooge and Marlie". The old Scrooge is not interested in anything but money (by the way, even the name that Charles Dickens chose for the protagonist of his story - "Scrooge" in English means "miser"). Therefore, the holidays for him - it is a waste of time, and care taken of the neighbor and help showed to needy is again a waste of money. But everything changes at Christmas. And the three Ghosts of Christmas - The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come show him what he was and why he became what he is. They also showed him what following Christmas would look like without him and.. well, I’d better not retell the full story, because you certainly have to read it by yourself. Just want to add that the shock he experiences that night changed him dramatically.
A small story "The Christmas song in prose, or the Christmas story with haunted ones" became the ancestor of the whole literary genre - the genre of Christmas or holy stories. Surely, it had a lot of other sources: medieval mysteries - drama on religious themes, oral folk tales of miracles and transformations that were told on holy evenings, but these stories were introduced to literature by Dickens. At the same time "Christmas Song" has already become an example of all the features of the genre: moving in time and space, the hero finds himself on all three levels of the universe - hell, earth and paradise. There is a shock because of what the spiritual cleansing begins. In the end, realizing the insignificance of the current way of life and feeling that the payment for him would be ferocious and terrible, he chooses a new path - the revival of a person created in the image and likeness of God.
An interesting fact is that at first Charles Dickens planned to write a completely different book. But for the help of economist Southwood Smith, a member of the government commission on child labor the creation of "Christmas Song," and four more novels that were united under the same cover as "Christmas Stories," could be impossible. He drew the attention of the popular writer to the striking facts of the exploitation of children in factories and asked to speak in the press for the adoption of a law on reduction of working hours.
Dickens, who remembered the period of his childhood very well, when he had to work ten hours daily on the production of wax (this life experience he described later in his novel David Copperfield), immediately approached the proposal and decided to write a pamphlet "An Appeal to the People of England, on behalf of the Poor Man's Child". However, the plans changed and he created "Christmas tales" that were thought to be a social sermon, the first of which was the "Christmas song". Colorful, somewhat ornamental, style of the fairytale and an interesting plot, along with the important social and moral-ethical problems that were violated in them, made these stories extremely popular among readers of many generations. And "Christmas Song" is the most famous piece in the world literature devoted to Christmas.
It has been adapted for the stage lots of times by various authors. And with the advent of the cinema "Christmas Song" began the triumphal procession throughout cinemas of the world. The first screen adaptation was shown in 1901 under the name "Scrooge or Ghost Marley", and then almost every decade appeared detailed versions, including animated or ironic "motive" variations. One of the latest was filmed in 2009, so perhaps one can expect that soon another version will be presented in the next country about the miracles on Christmas which will turn the old miser into the philanthropist.
Ukrainian readers got acquainted with the “Song” in 1880 when it was first published in Lviv (Olesnytskyi Eugene’s translation). There have been a lot of translations and republications since then. Scrooge now is a well-known codename, even the schedule of the popular tour agency in Kyiv has the excursion “Degtaryov – Ukraininan Scrooge and a generous benefactor”. The name of the tale is mentioned in theatre programs. Furthermore, this year on the day before the Catholic Christmas and the New Year’s Eve Lypky Theathre shows “Christmas Song" staged by Dybin Konstyantyn.
So those who are already familiar with Mr. Scroog's amazing story will probably be happy to experience the emotions again, and those who are just waiting for this acquaintance, maybe somewhat envy.