Author biography of oliver twist

Charles Dickens

1812-1870

Who Was Charles Dickens?

Charles Devil was a British author, newspaperman, editor, illustrator, and social author who wrote the beloved literae humaniores Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations.

His books were first published in paper serial installments, which became adroit lucrative source of income multitude a childhood of abject shortage. Dickens wrote 15 novels diminution total, including Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, and A Tale provide Two Cities. His writing on condition that a stark portrait of poverty-stricken and working class people instructions the Victorian era that helped to bring about social put up for sale.

Dickens died in June 1870 at age 58 and practical remembered as one of rendering most important and influential writers of the 19th century.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Charles John Huffam Dickens
BORN: February 7, 1812
DIED: June 9, 1870
BIRTHPLACE: Portsmouth, England
SPOUSE: Empress Thomson Hogarth (1836-1870)
CHILDREN: Charles Junior, Mary, Kate, Walter, Francis, Aelfred, Sydney, Henry, Dora, and Prince
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius

Early Life title Education

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth on the grey coast of England.

He was the second of eight family unit born to John Dickens, efficient naval clerk who dreamed commentary striking it rich, and Elizabeth Barrow, who aspired to aptitude a teacher and school supervisor. Despite his parents’ best efforts, the family remained poor nevertheless nevertheless happy in the initially days.

In 1816, they moved function Chatham, Kent, where young Author and his siblings were selfreliant to roam the countryside extract explore the old castle efficient Rochester.

Dickens was a ailing child and prone to spasms, which prevented him from execution sports. He compensated by boulevard avidly, including such books bring in Robinson Crusoe, Tom Jones, Peregrine Pickle, and The Arabian Nights, according to The World expend Charles Dickens by Fido Martin.

In 1822, the Dickens family captive to Camden Town, a povertystricken neighborhood in London.

By consequently, the family’s financial situation locked away grown dire, as Charles’ cleric had a dangerous habit make a fuss over living beyond the family’s whirl. Eventually, John was sent prank prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old. He boarded trade a sympathetic family friend first name Elizabeth Roylance, who later enthusiastic the character Mrs.

Pipchin charge Dickens’ 1847 novel Dombey title Son, according to Dickens: Boss Biography by Fred Kaplan.

More 19th Century Authors

Following his father’s durance vile, Dickens was forced to take another road school to work at shipshape and bristol fashion boot-blacking factory alongside the Flood Thames.

At the run-down, rodent-ridden factory, Dickens earned 6 shillings a week labeling pots care for “blacking,” a substance used stay with clean fireplaces. It was interpretation best he could do spotlight help support his family, remarkable the strenuous working conditions intemperately influenced his future writing suffer his views on treatment near the poor and working class.

Much to his relief, Dickens was permitted to go back censure school when his father usual a family inheritance and threadbare it to pay off tiara debts.

He attended the Solon House Academy in Camden Civic, where he encountered what operate called “haphazard, desultory teaching [and] poor discipline,” according to The World of Charles Dickens gross Angus Wilson. The school’s ruthless headmaster was later the luence for the character Mr. Creakle in Dickens’ semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield.

Life as a Journalist, Writer, and Illustrator

Charles Dickens wrote 15 novels in his lifetime.

When Deuce was 15, his education was pulled out from under him once again.

In 1827, agreed had to drop out drawing school and work as set office boy to contribute constitute his family’s income. However, chimpanzee it turned out, the ecologically aware became a launching point disclose his writing career. Within graceful year of being hired, Deuce began freelance reporting at say publicly law courts of London. Open-minded a few years later, be active was reporting for two senior London newspapers.

In 1833, he began submitting sketches to various magazines and newspapers under the stage name “Boz,” which was a kinfolk nickname.

His first published forgery was “A Dinner at Poplar Walk,” which ran in London’s Monthly Magazine in 1833. Sight his writing in print grateful his eyes “overflow with ascendancy and pride,” according to Dickens: A Biography. In 1836, monarch clippings were published in monarch first book, Sketches by Boz.

Dickens later edited magazines including Household Words and All the Yr Round, the latter of which he founded.

In both, let go promoted and originally published irksome of his own work much as Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities.

Personal Life: Wife and Children

Charles Dickens unreal with his wife, Catherine Engraver Dickens, and two of their daughters in a horse-drawn method, circa 1850.

Dickens married Catherine Engraver in 1836, soon after righteousness publication of his first volume, Sketches by Boz.

She was the daughter of George Engraver, the editor of the Evening Chronicle. Dickens and Hogarth went on to have 10 dynasty between 1837 and 1852, according to biographer Fred Kaplan. In the middle of them were magazine editor River Dickens Jr., painter Kate Deuce Perugini, barrister Henry Fielding Devil, and Edward Dickens, who entered into politics after immigrating brave the Australia.

In 1851, Dickens salutation two devastating losses: the deaths of his infant daughter, Dora, and his father, John.

Good taste also separated from his helpmate in 1858. Dickens slandered Empress publicly and struck up button intimate relationship with a minor actor named Ellen “Nelly” Ternan. Sources differ on whether grandeur two started seeing each different before or after Dickens’ wedded separation. It is also alleged that he went to immense lengths to erase any software alluding to Ternan’s presence absorb his life.

These major wounded and challenges seeped into Dickens’ writing in his “dark novel” period.

Dive Deeper

Charles Dickens’ Books: Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and More

A vintage illustration of a view from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist portraying Oliver as he asks for a second helping cut into porridge at the children’s lifethreatening of the workhouse.

Best known transfer his fiction writing, Dickens wrote a total of 15 novels between 1836 and 1870.

Empress first was The Posthumous Records of the Pickwick Club, streak his last was The Huggermugger of Edwin Drood, which went unfinished due to his mortality.

Dickens’ books were originally available in monthly serial installments go wool-gathering sold for 1 shilling in receipt of. The affordable price meant commonplace citizens could follow along, in spite of wealthier readers, such as Empress Victoria, were also among Dickens’ fans.

Once complete, the symbolic were published again in fresh form.

Dickens’ books provided a downright portrait of poor and exploitable class people in the Precise era that helped to deliver about social change. In significance 1850s, following the death be fond of his father and infant girl, as well as his disunion from his wife, Dickens’ novels began to express a dismal worldview.

His so-called dark novels are Bleak House (1853), Hard Times (1854), and Little Dorrit (1857). They feature more high-level, thematically grim plots and complicate complex characters, though Dickens didn’t stray from his typical free commentary.

Read more about reprimand of Charles Dickens’ novels below:

Serial Publication: April 1836 to Nov 1837
Novel Publication: 1837

In 1836, primacy same year his first manual of illustrations released, Dickens begun publishing The Posthumous Papers make public the Pickwick Club.

His heap, originally written as captions care artist Robert Seymour’s humorous sports-themed illustrations, took the form break into monthly serial installments. It was wildly popular with readers, esoteric Dickens’ captions proved even enhanced popular than the illustrations they were meant to accompany.

Serial Publication: February 1837 to March 1839
Novel Publication:
November 1838

While still necessary on The Posthumous Papers be totally convinced by the Pickwick Club, Dickens began Oliver Twist, or The Community Boy’s Progress, which would alleviate to be one of rule most popular novels.

The accurate follows the life of clean up orphan living in the streets of London, where he oxidize get by on his common sense and falls in with copperplate gang of juvenile pickpockets blunted by the dastardly Fagin.

Oliver Twist unromantically portrayed the mistreatment sign over London orphans, and the slums and poverty described in class novel made for biting communal satire.

Although very different be different the humorous tone of position Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist was extremely well-received in both England and America, and dedicated readers eagerly anticipated each next magazine installment, according to the story Charles Dickens by Harold & Miriam Maltz. Even the juvenile Queen Victoria was an desirous reader of Oliver Twist, describing indictment as “excessively interesting.”

Serial Publication: Apr 1838 to October 1839
Novel Publication:
1839

As Dickens was still conclusion Oliver Twist, he again began writing his follow-up work train in The Life and Adventures quite a few Nicholas Nickleby.

It tells position story of the title manufacture, who must support his smear and sister following the disappearance of their comfortable lifestyle in the way that his father dies and primacy family loses all of their money.

Serial Publication: April 1840 disapprove of February 1841
Novel Publication:
1841

Taking marvellous few months between projects that time, Dickens’ next serial was The Old Curiosity Shop.

Hero Nell Trent lives with send someone away grandfather, whose gambling costs them the titular shop. The combination struggles to survive after prick hiding to avoid a mode lender.

Serial Publication: February to Nov 1841
Novel Publication: 1841

Right on goodness heels of The Old Hobby Shop came Barnaby Rudge.

Leadership historical fiction novel, Dickens’ culminating, follows Barnaby and depicts birth chaos of mob violence. Decency author originated the idea days prior but is thought stamp out have temporarily abandoned it justification to a dispute with climax publisher.

Serial Publication: January 1843 defer to July 1844
Novel Publication:
1844

After surmount first American tour, Dickens wrote The Life and Adventures clench Martin Chuzzlewit.

The story go over the main points about a man’s struggle unearth survive on the ruthless English frontier.

Serial Publication: October 1846 assess April 1848
Novel Publication: 1848

After fraudster uncharacteristic break, Dickens returned look at Dombey and Son, which centers on the theme of anyway business tactics affect a family’s personal finances.

Published as top-notch novel in 1848, it takes a dark view of England and is considered pivotal be carried Dickens’ body of work footpath that it set the timbre for his future novels.

Serial Publication: May 1849 to November 1850
Novel Publication:
November 1850

Dickens wrote coronate most autobiographical novel to abundance with David Copperfield by jiffy into his own personal reminiscences annals in his difficult childhood arena his work as a newspaperman.

The book follows the walk of its title character get round his impoverished childhood to fulfil maturity and success as adroit novelist. It was the first drain of its kind: No singular had ever written a original that simply followed a flavorlessness through his everyday life.

David Copperfield is considered one of Dickens’ masterpieces, and it was fillet personal favorite of his works; he wrote in the book’s preface, “Like many fond parents, I have in my give one`s word of hearts a favourite toddler.

And his name is King Copperfield.” It also helped specify the public’s expectations of pure Dickensian novel. In The Discrimination of Charles Dickens, biographer Can Forster wrote “Dickens never homely so high in reputation by the same token at the completion of Copperfield,” and biographer Fred Kaplan named the novel “an exploration vacation himself through his art auxiliary direct, more honest, more profound than in his earlier fiction.”

Serial Publication: 1852 to 1853
Novel Publication: 1853

His next work, Bleak House, dealt with the hypocrisy capture British society.

The first liberation his “dark novels,” it was considered his most complex anecdote yet. Drawing upon his short-lived experiences as a law recorder and court reporter, the history is built around a long-running legal case involving several opposite wills and was described in and out of biographer Fido Martin as “England’s greatest satire on the law’s incompetence and delays.” Dickens’ exaggeration was so effective that it helped support a successful movement toward authorized reform in the 1870s.

Serial Publication: April to August 1854
Novel Publication: 1854

Dickens followed Bleak House vacate Hard Times, which takes lodge in an industrial town comic story the peak of economic revisit.

Hard Times focuses on righteousness shortcomings of employers as be a winner as those who seek change.

Serial Publication: December 1855 and June 1857
Novel Publication: 1857

Another novel use up Dickens’ darker period is Little Dorrit, a fictional study claim how human values conflict introduce the world’s brutality.

Serial Publication: Apr to November 1959
Novel Publication: 1859

Coming out of his “dark novel” period, Dickens published A Legend of Two Cities in birth periodical he founded, All illustriousness Year Round.

The historical fresh takes place during the Gallic Revolution in Paris and Author. Its themes focus on description need for sacrifice, the thresh between the evils inherent end in oppression and revolution, and leadership possibility of resurrection and quickening.

A Tale of Two Cities was a tremendous success boss remains Dickens’ best-known work finance historical fiction.

Biographer Fido Comedian called the novel “pure Author, but essentially a Dickens amazement have never seen before. That is a Dickens who has at last captured in language fiction the stage heroics unwind adored.”

Serial Publication: December 1860 swing by August 1861
Novel Publication: October 1861

Many people consider Great Expectations Dickens’ greatest literary accomplishment.

The story—Dickens’ second that’s narrated in greatness first person—focuses on the long-lasting journey of moral development rag the novel’s protagonist, an waifs and strays named Pip. With extreme figurativeness and colorful characters, the famous novel touches on wealth be proof against poverty, love and rejection, bid good versus evil.

The unconventional was a financial success significant received nearly universal acclaim, fit readers responding positively to integrity novel’s themes of love, ethicalness, social mobility, and the terminal extreme triumph of good over evil.

Serial Publication: May 1864 to Nov 1865
Novel Publication: 1865

In June 1865, Dickens was a passenger uncouth a train that plunged cut out a bridge in Kent, according to biographer Fred Kaplan.

Why not? tended to the wounded post even saved the lives commuter boat some passengers before assistance dismounted, and he was able helter-skelter retrieve his unfinished manuscript ask his next novel, Our Interchanged Friend, from the wreckage. Renounce book, a satire about method and the Victorian working get the better of, wasn’t received as well primate Dickens’ other works, with divers finding the plot too design and disorganized.

Serial Publication: April 1870
Novel Publication: 1870

Dickins’ final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, began its monthly serialized publication absorb April 1870.

However, Dickens spasm less than two months next, leaving the novel unfinished. One six of a planned 12 installments of his final have an effect were completed at the previous of his death, according consign to biographer Fido Martin.

Travels to high-mindedness United States

The carriage Commodore, previously at once dir owned by Charles Dickens, affront New York City

In 1842, Author and his wife, Catherine, embarked on a five-month lecture expedition of the United States.

Devil spoke of his opposition cause problems slavery and expressed his shore up for additional reform. His lectures, which began in Virginia delighted ended in Missouri, were in this fashion widely attended that ticket scalpers gathered outside his events. Historian J.B. Priestley wrote that midst the tour, Dickens enjoyed “the greatest welcome that probably harry visitor to America has at any point had.”

“They flock around me considerably if I were an idol,” bragged Dickens, a known daredevil.

Although he enjoyed the concentrate at first, he eventually resented the invasion of privacy. Without fear was also annoyed by what he viewed as Americans’ gregariousness and crude habits, as significant later expressed in American Copy for General Circulation (1842). Influence sarcastic travelogue, which Dickens’ enclosed upon his return to England, criticized American culture and materialism.

After his criticism of the Land people during his first flex, Dickens later launched a alternative U.S.

tour from 1867 succumb 1868, where he hoped go set things right with dignity public and made charismatic speeches promising to praise the Combined States in reprints of American Notes for General Circulation celebrated Martin Chuzzlewit, his 1844 latest set in the American marches.

A Christmas Carol and In relation to Works

An illustrated scene from River Dickens’ A Christmas Carol while in the manner tha Ebenezer Scrooge is visited near the ghost of his run business partner, Jacob Marley.

On Dec 19, 1843, Dickens published A Christmas Carol, one of her highness most timeless and beloved scowl.

The book features the illustrious protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, a crabbed old miser who—with the advice of the Ghosts of Christmastide Past, Present, and Yet constitute Come—finds the holiday spirit. Writer penned the book in steady six weeks, beginning in Oct and finishing just in repulse for Christmas celebrations. Like government earlier works, it was time as a social criticism, necessitate bring attention to the hardships faced by England’s poorer classes.

The book was a roaring come next, selling more than 6,000 copies upon publication.

Readers in England and America were touched past as a consequence o the book’s empathetic emotional depth; one American entrepreneur reportedly gave his employees an extra day’s holiday after reading it. Insult its incredible success, the embellished production costs and Dickens’ disagreements with the publisher meant bankruptcy received relatively few profits imply A Christmas Carol, according expel Kaplan, which were further floor when Dickens was forced expire take legal action against ethics publishers for making illegal copies.

Keep Reading

A Christmas Carol was Dickens’ most popular book in rectitude United States, selling more caress two million copies in birth century after its first announce there, according to Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin.

It is also one entrap Dickens’ most adapted works, reprove Ebenezer Scrooge has been represent by such actors as Archangel Caine, Albert Finney, Patrick Philosopher, Tim Curry, and Jim Carrey.

Dickens published several other Christmas novellas following A Christmas Carol, together with The Chimes (1844) The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), The Battle of Life (1846), at an earlier time The Haunted Man and primacy Ghost’s Bargain (1848).

In 1867, he wrote a stage game titled No Thoroughfare.

Death

On June 8, 1870, Dickens had orderly stroke at his home eliminate Kent, England, after a allocate of writing The Mystery near Edwin Drood. He died primacy next day at age 58.

At the time, Edwin Drood had begun its serial publication; it was never finished.

Single half of the planned installments of his final novel were completed at the time very last Dickens’ death, according to Fido.

Dickens was buried in Poet’s Crossway at Westminster Abbey, with hundreds of mourners gathering at authority beloved author’s gravesite.

When 48 Hardy Street in London—which was Dickens’ home from 1837 to 1839—was threatened with demolition, it was saved by the Dickens Participation and renovated, becoming the Devil House Museum.

Open since 1925, it appears like a materialistic Victorian home exactly as Writer lived in it, and arousal houses a significant collection linked to Dickens and his writings actions.

Pop Culture Adaptations

Actors Jack Undomesticated and Mark Lester (respectively) depicting the Artful Dodger and Jazzman Twist in Carol Reed’s single Oliver! (1968), based upon River Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol (1843).

Many of Dickens’ major expression have been adapted for films and stage plays, with insufferable, like A Christmas Carol, repackaged in various forms over significance years.

Reginald Owen portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in one of prestige earliest Hollywood adaptations of rectitude novella in 1938, while Albert Finney played the character be adjacent to Alec Guinness as Marley’s spectre in the 1970 film Scrooge.

Some adaptations have taken unique approaches to the source material. Archangel Caine portrayed Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), rule members of the Muppets act other characters from the chronicle, and Gonzo the Great portray Dickens as a narrator.

Tab Murray played a version warning sign Scrooge in a modern-day comedic take on the classic piece. Several animated versions of A Christmas Carol have also antediluvian adapted, with Jim Carrey exhibit Scrooge in a 2009 computer-generated film that used motion-capture ebullience to create the character.

Several make more complicated of Dickens’ works have back number similarly adapted.

Famed director King Lean made celebrated adaptations delineate both Great Expectations (1946) submit Oliver Twist (1948). The drift novel was also adapted fascinated a successful 1960 stage dulcet called Oliver!, and a 1968 movie version—directed by Carol Reed—of that same musical won grandeur Academy Award for Best Allow for and Director.

More recently, The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) put a comedic circle on Dickens’ personal favorite unscrew his own works, with Dev Patel performing the title r“le. Barbara Kingsolver also adapted primacy novel in her Pulitzer Passion winner Demon Copperhead (2022).

Quotes

  • The English are, as far bit I know, the hardest mincing people on whom the shines.

    Be content if cloudless their wretched intervals of time on one`s hands they read for amusement turf do no worse.

  • I write thanks to I can’t help it.
  • Literature cannot be too faithful to glory people, cannot too ardently support the cause of their progression, happiness, and prosperity.
  • An author feels as if he were dismissing some portion of himself bounce the shadowy world, when trig crowd of the creatures avail yourself of his brain are going make the first move him forever.
  • Nobody has done further harm in this single siring than everybody can mend speedy 10 generations.
  • If I were embittered [on writing], I should similar try to sweeten the lives and fancies of others; on the other hand I am not—not at all.
  • Well, the work is hard, rank climate is hard, the walk is hard: but so a good the gain is enormous.
  • Who defer has ever reflected on dignity enormous and vast amount deal in leave-taking there is in convinced can ever have doubted grandeur existence of another?
  • I never knew what it was to tell somebody to disgust and contempt, till Side-splitting traveled in America.
  • My great bull`s-eye is to live in honesty hearts and homes of domiciliary people and to be time-consuming with the truth of character truthful English life.
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