Francine Prose imagines Andersen's 1857 visit to Dickens in new novel

4 articles · Updated · NPR · May 6

Five Weeks in the Country depicts Hans Christian Andersen making a distressing, ill-timed stay at Charles Dickens' home.
The book recasts the historical encounter as a country house drama, adding a memorable twist to the literary relationship between the two writers.
The latest report focuses on Prose's fictional treatment of the 1857 visit rather than broader publication details or critical reception.

How does Francine Prose's novel blur the lines between historical fact and fiction in retelling Andersen’s visit to Dickens?

Which aspects of Dickens’ and Andersen’s real personalities are most transformed or exaggerated for dramatic effect in the novel?