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Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens achieved literary success after a difficult childhood during which he was forced to work in a blacking warehouse at age 12 when his father was sent to debtor’s prison. Like David Copperfield, the protagonist of one of his most famous novels, he was sent to live with a distant relative when his father was imprisoned.

His novels capture the lives of the poor in England and expose the conditions in which they lived, and he believed in the power of literature to expose social wrongs and to bring about social reform. His American Notes for General Circulation, an account of his travels in the United States, was an attack on slavery, which he saw as connected to the treatment of the poor in England.

In addition, he captured the feelings of childhood in a way that was novel at the time. His protagonists, such as David Copperfield and Pip in Great Expectations, suffer at the hands of cruel adults and display the real emotions of childhood at the time. Many of Dickens’s works are cherished classics, including A Tale of Two Cities (which takes place during the French Revolution) and his Christmas stories such as A Christmas Carol. Dickens was an extremely prolific writer, penning 15 novels and many short stories that are known for their humor, social realism, and readability. He was also a philanthropist and social reformer who set up a home for “fallen” women that focused on providing them with skills rather than punishing them. His works continue to be read and have never ceased being in print.

Age: 1812-1870
Languages: English
Books Pulished: 15

Awards & Honorable Mentions

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