Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was an English novelist and one of the most popular writers in the history of literature. He was born on February 7, 1812, the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. John Dickens was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office. He had a poor head for finances, and in 1824 found himself imprisoned for debt. His wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who was put to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, joined him in …

…the travel books American Notes and Pictures from Italy, administered charitable organizations, and pressed for many social reforms. In 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth. But despite all the successes, he was shadowed by domestic unhappiness. Incompatibility and Dickens's relations with a young actress, Ellen Ternan, led to his separation from his wife in 1858, after the marriage had produced ten children. He suffered a fatal stroke on June 9, 1870, and was buried in Westminster Abbey five days later.