C. Z. (Charles Zachary) Barnett

Born around 1813, C. Z. Barnett was an English playwright and librettist. Sources describe him as being of Jewish descent, the son of Bernhard Beer, a Prussian Jewish jeweller who later used the surname Barnett, and a Hungarian mother.

He is chiefly remembered for two strands of work: writing librettos for his brother John Barnett's operas, including Fair Rosamond and Farinelli, and creating early stage adaptations of Charles Dickens. His version of Oliver Twist appeared while Dickens's novel was still being serialized, and A Christmas Carol; Or, The Miser's Warning! became one of the works most associated with his name.

Barnett died in 1849. His plays and adaptations still surface through public-domain archives and audiobook libraries, where they offer a vivid glimpse of how quickly Victorian theater responded to the most talked-about stories of the day.