Charles Dickens February 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812, to John
and Elizabeth Dickens. He was the second of eight children. His mother had been
in service to Lord Crew, and his father worked as a clerk for the Naval Pay
office. John Dickens was imprisoned for debt when Charles was young. Charles
Dickens went to work at a blacking warehouse, managed by a relative of his
mother.
Dickens was able to leave the blacking factory after his father's release
from prison, and he continued his education at the Wellington House Academy.
Although he had little formal schooling, Dickens was able to teach himself
and launch a career as a journalist. At the age of sixteen, Dickens
got himself a job as a court reporter, and shortly thereafter he joined the
staff of A Mirror of Parliament, a newspaper that reported on the
decisions of Parliament.
His connections to various magazines and newspapers as a political journalist
gave him the opportunity to begin publishing his own fiction at the beginning of
his career. Dickens was the first person to make this serialization of novels profitable and was
able to expand his audience to include those who could not normally afford such
literary works.
Within a few years, he was regarded as one of the most successful authors of
his time. In 1836 Dickens also married Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a fellow co-worker at his newspaper. The
couple had ten children before they seperated in 1853.
Dickens' health began to deteriorate in the 1860s. In 1858, in response to
his increasing fame, he had begun public readings of his works.
On June 9, 1870, Charles Dickens died. He was buried in Poet's Corner of
Westminster Abbey. He left The Mystery of Edwin Drood unfinished.
Some of Dicken's fiction books:
Christmas Carol
A Tale Of Two Cities
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
David Copperfield
Dombey And Son
Great Expectations
Hard Times
Lazy Tour Of Two Idle
Apprentices
Little Dorrit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Master Humphrey's Clock
Nicholas Nickleby
No Thoroughfare
Oliver Twist
Our Mutual Friend
The Battle Of Life
The Chimes
The Cricket On The Hearth
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Pickwick Papers
and Elizabeth Dickens. He was the second of eight children. His mother had been
in service to Lord Crew, and his father worked as a clerk for the Naval Pay
office. John Dickens was imprisoned for debt when Charles was young. Charles
Dickens went to work at a blacking warehouse, managed by a relative of his
mother.
Dickens was able to leave the blacking factory after his father's release
from prison, and he continued his education at the Wellington House Academy.
Although he had little formal schooling, Dickens was able to teach himself
and launch a career as a journalist. At the age of sixteen, Dickens
got himself a job as a court reporter, and shortly thereafter he joined the
staff of A Mirror of Parliament, a newspaper that reported on the
decisions of Parliament.
His connections to various magazines and newspapers as a political journalist
gave him the opportunity to begin publishing his own fiction at the beginning of
his career. Dickens was the first person to make this serialization of novels profitable and was
able to expand his audience to include those who could not normally afford such
literary works.
Within a few years, he was regarded as one of the most successful authors of
his time. In 1836 Dickens also married Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a fellow co-worker at his newspaper. The
couple had ten children before they seperated in 1853.
Dickens' health began to deteriorate in the 1860s. In 1858, in response to
his increasing fame, he had begun public readings of his works.
On June 9, 1870, Charles Dickens died. He was buried in Poet's Corner of
Westminster Abbey. He left The Mystery of Edwin Drood unfinished.
Some of Dicken's fiction books:
Christmas Carol
A Tale Of Two Cities
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
David Copperfield
Dombey And Son
Great Expectations
Hard Times
Lazy Tour Of Two Idle
Apprentices
Little Dorrit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Master Humphrey's Clock
Nicholas Nickleby
No Thoroughfare
Oliver Twist
Our Mutual Friend
The Battle Of Life
The Chimes
The Cricket On The Hearth
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (unfinished)
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Pickwick Papers