Charles dickens biography facts record
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The history of Charles Dickens’ Birthplace
Charles John Huffam Dickens, to give the great writer’s full name, was born in Portsmouth on 7 February 1812. The house that now stands as his birthplace museum is situated on Old Commercial Road, but back then it was called Mile End Terrace.
There’s some dispute over the number at Mile End Terrace the Dickens’ household actually was. Some sources säga it was number 1, others claim it was 13. As yet there seems to be no conclusive proof one way or the other.
What’s not in doubt, though, was that Charles Dickens – arguably the greatest and most famous Victorian author – was born within its walls.
The Dickens family came to be in Portsmouth from London as Charles’ father, John Dickens, was hired as a clerk in the Navy Post Office at Portsmouth Dockyard.
In 1809, the newlywed John Dickens brought his young bride Elizabeth Dickens to Portsmouth. They rented the house at Mile End Terrace as the
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Charles Dickens
1812-1870
Who Was Charles Dickens?
Charles Dickens was a British author, journalist, editor, illustrator, and social commentator who wrote the beloved classics Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations. His books were first published in monthly serial installments, which became a lucrative source of income following a childhood of abject poverty. Dickens wrote 15 novels in total, including Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities. His writing provided a stark portrait of poor and working class people in the Victorian era that helped to bring about social change. Dickens died in June 1870 at age 58 and is remembered as one of the 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: Catherine Thomson Hogarth (1836-1870)
CHILDREN: Charles Jr., Mary, Kate, Walter, Francis, A
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Although he is forever symbolic of Victorian London, Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812 and was a 24-year-old journalist by the time Queen Victoria came to the throne. He died in 1870, aged only 58 years old and 30 years before the end of the Victorian era. However, in that fairly short time as a writer, he packed in huge amounts of work including writing his novels, editing newspapers, reporting on the House of Commons and fundraising for good causes and charities.
Most of what we know about Charles Dickens comes from John Forster, Dickens’ long-time friend, literary agent and biographer, but there are discrepancies in the biography of Charles Dickens, as explored by Helena Kelly in her book “The Life and Lies of Charles Dickens”.
Charles was brought up by parents John and Elizabeth Dickens as well as various uncles and aunts who loved books, writing, the theatre, music, dancing, drinking and gambling. They were all well-educated and intelligent people who