Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born on the 7th February 1812 and moved to London in 1822. His father’s extravagant spending on a measly wage put him in the debtor’s prison, and Dickens was withdrawn from school. He was soon put to work in a shoe-dye factory on a ten-hour day.

He lived for a while in a North London lodging house – the worst period of his life, he said – but it was this event that shaped his future novels. His works are often characterized by attacks on social evils, and tell stories of the poor.

By the age of fifteen he was working as a clerk in a law firm, and then a Parliamentary reporter for Mirror of Parliament.

Charles Dickens’ first books

In 1833 Dickens began contributing short stories and essays to various periodicals under the pen-name of Boz, and these were published as Sketches by Boz in 1836. The Pickwick Papers followed in twenty monthly instalments, and this made him internationally famous.

He married Catherine Hogarth on the 2nd April 1836 and together they had nine children, before separating in 1858.

Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol

Dickens was by now the editor of Bentley’s Miscellany, a monthly magazine in which he serialized Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby.

After a gruelling working holiday to America in 1841, he began to write Christmas tales. A Christmas Carol came out in 1843.

In 1850 he created the weekly journal Household Words, in which he serialized A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. He also worked on several novels, such as David Copperfield and Bleak House.

Dicken’s later life

In 1858 Dickens began taking paid speaking tours and performed his works about 400 times. Poor health brought these tours to an end in 1869, and he died on the 9th June 1870.

He was buried in Westminster Abbey under the inscription He was a sympathiser to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England’s greatest writers is lost to the world.

• Pictures
• Famous quotes

Historical pictures

^{Charles Dickens, c.1867Charles Dickens}

Charles Dickens – quotes

Mrs Crupp had indignantly assured him that there wasn’t room to swing a cat there; but, as Mr Dick justly observed to me, sitting down on the foot of the bed, nursing his leg, You know, Trotwood, I don’t want to swing a cat. I never do swing a cat. Therefore what does that signify to me!

_{David Copperfield – Chapter 35}

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

_{A Tale of Two Cities – Chapter 1}

Charles Dickens – Related articles…

Dickens’ House Museum
The Dickens’ House Museum was home to Charles Dickens in 1837, and where he wrote Oliver Twist.