Dickens, Charles

1812

1870

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire, on 7 February 1812. He became the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era and in his lifetime enjoyed more popularity than any previous novelist. His numerous works are familiar to millions through print, radio, film and television: “A Christmas Carol”, “David Copperfield”, “Great Expectations”, “Bleak House”, “Oliver Twist” and “A Tale of Two Cities”. He also enjoyed a successful career as a platform reader, mostly from his own works, and toured throughout the provinces and the United States. He became a member of the Garrick Club in 1837, soon after he wrote the “Pickwick Papers”. Dickens died at Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent, on 9 June 1870. See his biographies: Edgar Johnson, “Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph” (2 vols,1952) and Norman and Jeanne Mackenzie, “Dickens” (1979). For Dickens and the Garrick Club, see Richard Hough, “The Ace of Clubs” (1987).