Charles Dickens was born in a little house in Landport, Portsea, England, on February 7, 1812. The second of eight children, he grew up in a family frequently beset by financial insecurity. When the family fortunes improved, Charles went back to school, after which he became an office boy, a freelance reporter, and finally an author. With
Pickwick Papers (1836–37) he achieved immediate fame. In a few years he was easily the most popular and respected writer of his time. It has been estimated that one out of every ten persons in Victorian England was a Dickens reader.
Oliver Twist (1837),
Nicholas Nickleby (1838–39), and
The Old Curiosity Shop (1840-41) were huge successes.
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843–44) was less so, but Dickens followed it with his unforgettable,
A Christmas Carol (1843),
Bleak House (1852–53),
Hard Times (1854), and
Little Dorrit (1855–57), which
reveal his deepening concern for the injustices of British society.
A Tale of Two Cities (1859),
Great Expectations (1860–61), and
Our Mutual Friend (1864–65) complete his major works.
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