Charles Dickens

Born in Portsmouth on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens began working in a shoe-blacking warehouse at age 12 after his family fell into financial difficulty and his father was sent to a debtor’s prison. The experience left a lasting impression and deepened his sympathy for people living with poverty and injustice. He later became a court and parliamentary reporter before gaining attention under the pen name “Boz.”

Dickens rose to fame with The Pickwick Papers and went on to write enduring novels including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol. He was also an editor, journalist, and energetic public reader whose work often combined humor, vivid storytelling, and calls for social reform. He died in 1870, leaving behind one of the most influential bodies of writing in the English language.