Biography of Charles Dickens
Quiz 12/5/8
Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7, 1812 .
His parents’ names were John and Elizabeth.
Charles was one of eight children.
Charles and his family moved to London , England after his father lost his job.
Charles’ father was arrested for debt.
When Charles was 12 years old, his family had serious financial difficulties so he went to work in a shoe polish factory.
Charles worked 12-16 hour days putting labels on bottles of shoe polish.
While Charles was working in the factory to help pay off his father’s debt, the rest of the family lived in a debtor’s prison.
Charles later worked as a clerk in a law firm.
He liked neither the law nor lawyers.
Charles fell in love with a woman named Maria Beadnell, but her father wouldn’t allow her to marry Charles because he was not wealthy.
Charles married Catherine Hogarth in 1836 and they had 10 children.
Under the pen name Boz, his first literary work, called Sketches by Boz , was published.
He produced numerous novels, many of which first appeared as monthly installments: for example - Pickwick Papers.
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843 in one month because he, like his father, had financial problems.
Other famous novels by Chares Dickens: Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and David Copperfield.
Charles Dickens died at the age of 58 on June 9, 1870.
He lies buried in Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey in London, England .
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