I found myself unable to stop reading this Times article on a visit Hans Christian Andersen paid to Dickens in England.  The two had been mutual admirers and then correspondents, but then Andersen came to stay for what was meant to be a fortnight and stayed for five weeks!  Dickens never corresponded with Andersen again.

Here is my favorite quote from the article:

To Andersen, the visit was timeless Elysium, a holiday, a fairy tale come true. To Dickens, his wife, and particularly his children it was eternal torment, a holy hell, a horror story made real.

Anyone else enjoying this the way I do?  There’s some sort of vicarious pleasure in reading this.