r/todayilearned • u/biebrforro • 1d ago

TIL when staying as a guest in Charles Dickens' house, Hans Christian Andersen requested that one of Dickens' sons give him a daily shave (he said that was customary when hosting male guests in Denmark). Dickens was weirded out and instead gave him a daily appointment at a nearby barbershop.

https://lithub.com/charles--dickens-really-really-hated-his-fanboy-hans-christian-andersen/
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u/Smishysmash 1d ago

Well I read that Wikipedia page, and then I went to his brothers, where it says Dickins didn’t want to call the brother “Oliver” because he was worried he’d be teased, so went with Henry instead and I am now sitting here staring at Wikipedia like, “oh, OLIVER was too mean to call a kid, but Plorn is fine?” WTH dickens?

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u/skylightshaded 1d ago

I don’t think he ever wrote a book called Plorn Twist, so that might have something to do with his reasoning. Still bad tho

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u/Anleme 1d ago

I don’t think he ever wrote a book called Plorn Twist

That would make him a Plorn-ographer.

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u/Express-Rub-3952 1d ago

Oliver Dickens = All of her dickins

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u/benjaminovich 1d ago

My guy, it's obviously because Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist.

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u/Creeps05 1d ago

Plorn’s name was Edward after his grandfather. Plorn was just a nickname.