Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, one of the most popular and prolific writers of the nineteenth century, was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsea, England, to John and Elizabeth Dickens. His father was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office, and in 1824, he was arrested for debt. While his family was imprisoned in the Marshalsea Prison in London, Dickens, then only twelve, was forced to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory. After his father was released from prison, Dickens attended a day school in London. In 1827, he was taken from school and worked in a law office and later as a freelance reporter at Doctor's Commons Courts. In 1833 he began writing sketches of London life under the pseudonym Boz, which appeared in newspapers and magazines and were published in the collection “Sketches by Boz” in 1836. That year, Dickens also married Catherine Hogarth, met John Forster, his close friend and biographer, became the editor of “Bentley's Miscellany,” and began publishing “The Pickwick Papers” in monthly installments, a form that he would use for his other works. Over the next six years, Dickens published four novels in serial form, “Oliver Twist” (1837-1839), “Nicholas Nickleby” (1838-1839), “The Old Curiosity Shop” (1840-1841) and “Barnaby Rudge” (1841). In 1842, he went on a lecture tour of the United States and Canada, where he urged the abolition of slavery and international copyright. When he returned to England, he published “American Notes” (1842), a critical account of his experiences there, and the novel “Martin Chuzzlewit” (1843-1844), part of which was set in America. He also wrote “A Christmas Carol” (1844), the first of his popular Christmas books, which include “The Chimes” (1844) and “The Cricket on the Hearth” (1845). After returning from a tour of Italy, Switzerland, and France with his family, Dickens established an amateur theatre company. He also founded and edited two periodicals, “Household Words,” which ran from 1850 to 1859, and “All the Year Round,” which ran from 1859 until his death. In 1853, Dickens gave the first of many public readings from his work. During this period, Dickens wrote his most successful novels, “Dombey and Son” (1846-1848), “David Copperfield” (1849-1850), “Bleak House” (1852-1853), “Hard Times” (1854), “Little Dorrit” (1855-1857), “A Tale of Two Cities” (1859), “Great Expectations” (1860-1861), and “Our Mutual Friend” (1864-1865). After several tours of the British Isles and America to give public readings, Dickens suffered a mild stroke. He died in London on June 9, 1870, leaving his final novel, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” unfinished.