Charles Dickens
•Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsea Island, England, on February 7, 1812, to John, a clerk at the 'Navy Pay Office', and his wife Elizabeth, an aspiring school teacher.
•He is one of the most widely read English authors of all time. He is famous for his novels that touch upon the sensitive issues of poverty, child labour, and slavery. Some of his popular novels are 'Oliver Twist',
'A Christmas Carol', and 'Hard Times', amongst many more. His books have seen more than 200 adaptations
for the big screen, including
'The Pickwick Papers',
a silent movie made in the early 20th century.
•This author was gifted with
a powerful memory, and most of
the characters in his novels are based
on people he met.
•As a child, Charles was fond of books like
'Robinson Crusoe', 'The Arabian Nights',
and 'Gil Blas'. His favourite writers
were Scottish poet Tobias Smollett,
and English author Henry Fielding.
He was learning in a private school,
and later at a school owned by a man
named William Giles.
•In 1824, his father was arrested for not repaying £40 and 10 shillings to a baker named James Kerr. He was joined by his wife and all children except Charles. The boy started living with a distant relative, Elizabeth Roylance. The child had no option but to drop out of school and start working at the 'Warren's Blacking Warehouse'. Here, he earned six shillings a week.