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Charles Dickens grew up in a very poor family of ten. In 1824, his father went to prison for debt. As a consequence, Charles was forced to quit school and work to keep his family afloat. In a flash, the boy had to become an adult by the age of 12. Dickens felt abandoned by the adults in his life and this feeling can be seen portrayed throughout many of his novels.

Dickens’ writing career started with journalism. He worked as a reporter of law cases before he became a journalist for two major London newspapers. His wildly popular series of monthly installments, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, were what lifted him from ordinary writer to minor celebrity.

The author toured America twice lecturing about his opposition to slavery, as well as other reform. With Dickens’ fame at an all-time high, these tours sold out quite quickly. Even his second tour that followed the release of American Notes for General Circulation, which was not received well in the states, did extremely well.

Dickens is one of the few classic writers that experienced fame and success while still alive. He was especially well-known in London and would oftentimes get stopped on the street by fans. He passed away at the age of 58 while working on his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which will forever remain just that: a mystery.