Charles Dickens celebrations

Dickens was an English novelist, considered the greatest of the Victorian period. He is much loved for the great contribution to classic English literature. His unique characters, intriguing stories, exhaustive descriptions of contemporary life and social reforms remain popular to this day.

He was born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth, to John and Elizabeth Dickens. He was sent to school at the age of nine however, because of financial difficulties, the Dickens family was forced to move from Kent to Camden Town in London. His father was imprisoned for bad debt and Charles was sent to work in Warren's blacking factory enduring appalling and cruel conditions. This experience made a big impact on Dickens as well as his views on reform of socio-economic and labour conditions. He returned to school after three years and described his experience in two of his novels 'David Copperfield' and 'Great Expectations'.

The Wellington House Academy was not a good school and therefore Dickens left to become a freelance reporter. He began with the journals 'The True Sun' and 'The Mirror of Parliament'. In 1833 he became parliamentary journalist for The Morning Chronicle and thanks to his new contacts in the press he could later publish a series of sketches in periodicals, Sketches by Boz. He got married in 1836 to Catherine Hogarth. Within the same month came the publication of the highly successful 'Pickwick Papers' and became very popular.



Dickens was very energetic, as well as a huge list of novels he published autobiography, edited weekly periodicals, wrote travel books and administered charitable organisations. Many of his writings were published serially, in monthly episodes. He knew how to keep readers interested, looking forward to the next instalment. Charles Dickens also published famous Yuletide tales. A Christmas Carol, the most popular one, helped to rekindle the joy of Christmas in both America and Britain when the traditional celebration was in decline. He was a true theatre enthusiast, wrote several plays and in 1851 even performed before Queen Victoria. He spent a lot of time abroad, lecturing against slavery in the United States and touring Italy with his companions.

He separated from his wife in 1858 with whom he had ten children, but maintained relations and secretly lived with his mistress Ellen Ternan. He died of a stroke in 1870 and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Dickens made a huge impact on the public as well as left a large legacy behind.  His novels proved extremely popular during his lifetime and gained much fame and appreciation in modern times. He was and continues to be a true inspiration for other novelists.

Today the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are leading global celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth. A 24-hour 'readathon' is taking place in most countries starting with Australia. The Westminster Abbey service was attended by a large gathering of the author's descendants, including his great-great-grandson, Mark Dickens, as well as many fans and supporters. As the Dean of Westminster summed up artist's work: 'Dickens's humanity and compassion made an extraordinary impact on Victorian England through his writings, which remain immensely popular.'


Why not start your own novel?
All you need is paper, pen and loads of coffee!