author

Charles Whitehead

1804–1862

A gifted but troubled figure of Victorian literature, this English poet, novelist, and dramatist moved in lively literary circles and even helped point the way toward The Pickwick Papers. His own work, especially Richard Savage, won admiration for its sharp feeling and memorable portrait of a writer's hard life.

1 Audiobook

Lives and exploits of the most noted highwaymen, robbers and murderers of all nations

Lives and exploits of the most noted highwaymen, robbers and murderers of all nations

by Charles Whitehead

About the author

Born in London in 1804, Charles Whitehead was the eldest son of a wine merchant and began working as a clerk before deciding to make his living by writing. He earned early notice for his poem The Solitary and went on to write poetry, fiction, drama, biographies, and journalism for periodicals.

Whitehead became part of the literary world around the Mulberry Club and knew figures including Douglas Jerrold, Charles Lamb, Thackeray, and Charles Dickens. One of the best-known stories about him is that, after being offered a commission for an illustrated serial, he declined it and suggested Dickens instead, leading to The Pickwick Papers. His own best-known novel is Richard Savage, a Romance of Real Life, often praised by admirers as an unfairly neglected work.

Later in life, Whitehead moved to Melbourne in 1857 and continued writing for newspapers and magazines there, but he struggled with poverty, ill health, and alcoholism. His final years were marked by personal hardship, and he died in 1862.