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Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 to John and Elizibeth Dickens.
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In 1824, John Dickens was arrested and put in Debtor's Prison. Chales Dickens had to work in a blacking factory (factory that produced shoe polish) in order to support his family.
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Dickens began to submit short stories to a publication called the Monthly Magazine under the pen name Boz.
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The Pickwick Papers, Dickens's first novel, was published in regular installments in newspapers from 1836 to 1837.
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Oliver Twist is about an orphan named Oliver and the trials he endures. This book is responsible for the beginnings of reform in England because of its portrayals of workhouses and conditions for the poor.
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A Christmas Carol is one of Dickens's best known and best selling books. Dickens printed it at his own cost instead of using a publisher and made expensive design choises. If it hadn't sold well, he would have been ruined financially.
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In 1856, Dickens bought Gads Hill Place, the home of his dreams since he was a young child. This is of great personal significance to him, as the prospect of buying it was a large motivation throughout his life.
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Dickens and his wife Catherine separated in 1858. They did not officially divorce, as Dickens was afraid the publicity would ruin his career. For the rest of his life, Dickens lived with an actress named Ellen Ternan.
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Another one of Dickens's most poular works, A Tale of Two Cites is a story about London and Paris during the French Revolution.
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Charles Dickens died of a stroke in his home at Gad's Hill Place in England. Mourners of every social class came to pay tribute to him. Although he had requested a simple burial, Dickens was buried next to George Fredric Handel in Westminster Abbey's Poets Corner.
