Famous Authors – a Series (3) Charles Dickens

This year, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens who was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England. Many artists, including writers, often lead dissolute lives, but Charles Dickens was highly respected during his lifetime and thereafter. His creative genius to this day is unrivaled. When he was 24 years old, he married Catherine Hogarth and the couple had ten children.

Charles was the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens and spent a happy childhood until about the age of 12, when his father was imprisoned for unpaid debts, and his mother and his seven siblings had to join their father in prison. Charles alone was sent to work at a shoe blacking factory and worked 10-hour days, 6 days per week. The factory conditions were deplorable, and the hundreds of child laborers were harshly treated. His novels David Copperfield and Great Expectations are based on the years he spent as a child factory worker. David Copperfield is said to be the most autobiographical of Dickens’ works. His father was the inspiration for the character of Mr Micawber in David Copperfield and his mother was the model for Mrs. Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby.

The prolific writings of Charles Dickens include: A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers and other hit novels of 19th-century England. His novels were enormously successful and propelled Dickens to fame and fortune. Dickens’ life of poverty left an indelible mark on his psyche and because of his experiences as a youth, he spent his life campaigning for social reform, bringing the trials of the poor and suffering to the public eye.

Before his success as a novelist, Dickens assumed a pseudonym “Boz” and published Sketches by Boz which appeared in various periodicals. He also took a position as an editor before he decided on a career as a novelist.

When he was 58 years old and working on his novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens suffered a stroke and died on June 9, 1870. The novel remains unfinished to this day although efforts have been made by several writers to provide a plausible ending to the mystery.

Sources:

http://www.life123.com/arts-culture/british-authors/charles-dickens/charles-dickens-biography.shtml

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/dickensbio1.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml


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