The world of literary scholarship has lost one of its most dedicated champions with the death of Professor Michael Slater, the preeminent authority on the life and works of Charles Dickens. Slater passed away on 27 November 2025, at the age of 88, leaving behind a monumental legacy that fundamentally expanded public and academic appreciation for the Victorian novelist.
A Life Defined by Dickens
Born in Reading, Berkshire, on 29 December 1936, Michael Derek Slater's lifelong passion for Dickens was ignited in childhood. He first encountered the author's weird and wonderful world through novels like Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby at the age of seven or eight. This early fascination would blossom into a career that he later admitted saw Dickens to a large extent been my life.
After studying English at Balliol College, Oxford, and completing a PhD on Dickens under the tutelage of leading scholar Kathleen Tillotson, Slater was appointed to a lectureship at Birkbeck College, University of London in 1965. He remained there for 36 years, rising to become Professor of Victorian Literature in 1991 before retiring as Emeritus Professor a decade later.
Bridging the Academic and Popular Divide
Slater was a tireless advocate for making the full breadth of Dickens's work accessible. He believed the author's distinctive genius lay in his humour and his creation of unforgettable characters. To counter the divide between academic and general readers, he served as editor of The Dickensian journal from 1968 to 1977, injecting new academic rigour while preserving its fellowship spirit.
His most celebrated achievement is the magisterial biography Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing (2009). This work provided a detailed account of the writer's life while meticulously tracing its connections to his vast literary output. Beyond the famous novels, Slater shone a light on Dickens's lesser-known writings. He produced the comprehensive four-volume edition Dickens' Journalism and served as series editor for the Everyman Dickens collection, which brought short stories, travel writing, and children's works back into print.
Expanding the Dickens Universe
Slater's scholarly curiosity led him into pioneering areas of research. His 1983 book, Dickens and Women, offered a nuanced analysis of the author's complex relationships with women, both in life and in fiction. This work unexpectedly led to him appearing on London stages to answer audience questions during Miriam Margolyes's popular Dickens' Women show.
He also meticulously examined one of literature's great secrets in The Great Charles Dickens Scandal (2012), which explored Dickens's relationship with the young actress Ellen Ternan. As a long-time trustee and academic adviser to the Charles Dickens Museum in London, he was instrumental in securing important collections of Dickensiana for the public.
Slater's influence was international. He served as President of the Dickens Fellowship (1988-90) and the Dickens Society of America, frequently lecturing worldwide. His contributions were recognised with an MBE in 2014.
Michael Slater is survived by four nephews and a niece. His partner of many years, John Grigg, whom he met while studying Russian during National Service, predeceased him in 2013. Through his passionate scholarship, editorial brilliance, and charismatic teaching, Michael Slater ensured that the rich, diverse world of Charles Dickens will continue to excite readers and scholars for generations to come.
