Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was an English writer and journalist. Born in Landport near Portsmouth, he grew up in impoverished circumstances. As a child, he worked for a time in a factory after his father was imprisoned for debt. Dickens began his professional career as a clerk and court and parliamentary reporter. He gained recognition through sketches of everyday life in London and the serial novels “The Pickwick Papers” and “Oliver Twist.” His major works also include “David Copperfield,” “Great Expectations,” “Nicholas Nickleby,” and “A Christmas Carol.” His fiction combines humor and close social observation with sharp criticism of social injustice. Dickens died of a stroke in 1870.