Charles Dickens

I never could have done what I've done it without the habits of punctuality, order and diligence, without determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.

Profile / Biography Charles Dickens
One of the most poignant story tellers to come out of the Victorian era, Charles Dickens’ world wide popularity is still as impressive today as it was when he was alive. The fact that every novel he ever wrote is still in print today, even his unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, proves this.

Dickens was born in 1812 on February 7th, the son of a naval pay clerk, which meant that his family was relatively well off; however, his father managed to squander away his decent living entertaining friends and living beyond his means, and was thrown into prison for debt. At the age of 12 Dickens was deemed old enough to work and was forced to work 10 hours a day in a boot-blacking factory.

Sometime later the family’s fortunes improved, yet Dickens’ mother forced him to continue working in the factory because it was owned by a family relative. Dickens never forgave his mother for this. Working conditions and the plight of the lower class were two topics that stayed with Dickens throughout his life and became major themes in some of his greatest works, such as David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.

Dickens made a name for himself when he published his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, in 1837. He then went on to write 19 more novels, all of which were very successful and brought him much acclaim. In the midst of his success he married Catherine Hogarth and had 10 children, all of whom managed to squander their inheritance not long after the death of their father in 1870.