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Charles Dickens Facts

Charles Dickens Facts
Charles Dickens, the author of A Christmas Carol and many more famous literary works, was born in February 7th, 1812 in Landport, Hampshire, England. His full name was Charles John Huffam Dickens. He was the second child of eight born to Elizabeth and John Dickens. His father worked in the Navy Pay Office, and the family moved several times until settling in Chatham, Kent until he was 11. Charles developed a love of reading when he was young, and when his father and the rest of his family were sent to debtor's prison when he was 12, he boarded with a family friend. Charles quit school to earn money for his family and this is when he developed his interest in labor and socio-economic conditions. In 1833 he submitted his first story for publication titled A Dinner at Poplar Walk.
Interesting Charles Dickens Facts:
Charles Dickens' father had a habit of spending more than the family had and this was the reason he was sent to debtor's prison when Charles was young.
Charles first job, when he was only 12, was to put labels on blacking. Blacking was used to clean fireplaces, and he was paid a mere six shillings a week for his work.
Charles returned to school when his father received an inheritance, but by the age of 15 he was again forced to quit work to help support the family.
In 1833 Charles began sending submissions to magazines under the name Boz. His first published book was Sketches by Boz.
Charles married Catherine Hogarth and together they had 10 children. In 1958 they separated.
Charles Dickens started editing a magazine called Bentley's Miscellany where he began publishing Oliver Twist.
Oliver Twist was the first Victorian-era novel with a child as the main character.
In 1842 Charles Dickens visited the United States and Canada with his wife. During his trip to the United States Charles tried to petition Congress about the piracy of his work in the U.S. but he was unsuccessful.
In 1843 Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, which would go on to become a classic Christmas story, subsequently turned into several movies.
Most of the novels written by Charles Dickens were serialized in magazines before being published in book form. This was very common at the time.
Charles Dickens' novels include The Pickwick Papers (1836), Oliver Twist (1837), Nicholas Nickleby (1838), The Old Curiosity Shop (1840), Barnaby Rudge (1841), Martin Chuzzlewit (1843), Dombey and Son (1846), David Copperfield (1849), Bleak House (1852), Hard Times (1854), Little Dorrit (1855), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1860), Our Mutual Friend (1864), and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870).
Charles Dickens passed away before finishing The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Only half of the planned twelve installments were completed.
Charles Dickens had several short story collections, short stories, plays, poetry, and non-fiction published, many of which have become classic pieces of literature.
Charles Dickens, who died in 1870 at the age of 58 in Higham, Kent, England, is celebrated today in festivals and at museums often in places that were mentioned in Dickens' works.


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