Charles Dickens(1812-1870)
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Charles Dickens' father was a clerk at the Naval Pay Office, and
because of this the family had to move from place to place: Plymouth,
London, Chatham. It was a large family and despite hard work, his
father couldn't earn enough money. In 1823 he was arrested for debt and
Charles had to start working in a factory, labeling bottles for six
shillings a week. The economy eventually improved and Charles was able
to go back to school. After leaving school, he started to work in a
solicitor's office. He learned shorthand and started as a reporter
working for the Morning Chronicle in courts of law and the House of
Commons. In 1836 his first novel was published, "The Pickwick Papers".
It was a success and was followed by more novels: "Oliver Twist"
(1837), "Nicholas Nickleby" (1838-39) and "Barnaby Rudge" (1841). He
traveled to America later that year and aroused the hostility of the
American press by supporting the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement.
In 1858 he divorced his wife Catherine, who had borne him ten children.
During the 1840s his social criticism became more radical and his
comedy more savage: novels like "David Copperfield" (1849-50), "A Tale
of Two Cities" (1959) and "Great Expectations" (1860-61) only increased
his fame and respect. His last novel, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", was
never completed and was later published posthumously.
