Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and spent much of his early life living in great hardship. His father was sent to prison because he owed money and young Dickens had to do a job he hated to support his family. Even when his father got out of prison, he was not allowed to leave the job – something he never forgave his mother for. He later worked as an office boy and a journalist before he began writing novels. His work was immediately popular and has never gone out of print in the UK and USA, (which Dickens visited twice). His writing has dramatic plots, with some of the most life-like characters in literature, either because they are so evil (such as Bill Sykes in ‘Oliver Twist’ and Mr. Squeers in ‘Nicholas Nickleby’) or eccentric (for instance, Mr. Micawber in ‘David Copperfield’ and Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’). Yet, his novels also include serious social messages.