Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born February 7, 1812 at 1 Mile End Terr. Portsmouth, England (now the Dickens Museum, 393 Commercial Road), where his father was a clerk in the Royal Navy Pay Office. From 1817 Dickens lived with his family in Chatham, Kent. He went to Mr. Giles School in Clover Lane and spent many hours partying at the Mitre Inn and Clarence Hotel in the High Street. Dickens considered his years in Chatham as the happiest of his childhood and many of the scenes in his books stem from his early years in Chatham.

In 1822, the family moved to London, where his father worked. Dickens' family was considered middle class, however, his father had a difficult time managing money. His extravagant spending habits brought the family to financial disaster, and in 1824, John Dickens was imprisoned for debt. The family were often in debt, so Charles had to give up school to work at the shoe-dye factory of Warren's Blacking in the City. His father allowed him to return to school when his debts were repaid, but his schooling was again interrupted and ultimately ended when Dickens was forced to return to work at age 15. He became a clerk in a law firm, then a shorthand reporter in the courts, and finally a parliamentary and newspaper reporter.

His early 20s was spent as a journalist and law court reporter. It was not until the success of his first novel, Pickwick Papers at 25, did he become a full-time writer. His books are a sustained commentary on human nature and society. Dickens savaged the petty-mindedness of the middle classes; the very people who bought his books. He said that human happiness comes not from law, religion, politics or social structures, but from gratuitous acts of individual kindness. Dickens became internationally popular. He resigned from his position as a newspaper reporter and became editor of a monthly magazine entitled Bentley's Miscellany. Also during 1836, Dickens married Catherine Hogarth and in 1837 lived at 48 Doughty Street, Holborn, London (now Dickens House, a library & museum). Together, they had nine surviving children, before they separated in 1858.

After the break-up of his marriage with Catherine, Dickens moved permanently to his country house called Gad's Hill, near Chatham in 1860. It was also around this time that Dickens became involved in an affair with a young actress named Ellen Ternan. The affair lasted until Dickens' death, but it was kept quite secret. Charles Dickens died suddenly at home on June 9, 1870. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Other biographies: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

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