Dickens Bio

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the second child of Elizabeth and John Dickens. His father worked as a clerk in the Naval Pay Office in a suburb of Portsmouth. This job took him and his family to London two years later and then to Chatham where at only four years old Charles started his schooling. The Dickens family remained in Chatham and Charles continued his schooling until 1821 when his father lost his job and most of his income. The family then moved to a house in Camden Town, London. They happily lived there for three years until his father found himself so far into debt that he was arrested. He was imprisoned and forced to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory at Hungerford Market until he could pay off his debts. Charles had to walk four miles just to visit his father in prison. Eventually, Charles’ family found a home closer to the prison, until May of the 1824, when his father was released. They moved back to Camden Town

Three years later, in 1827, he decided to quit school to become the office boy of an attorney. His heart was not in his work there and he decided to be a journalist, his first step on the road to fame and fortune. He became a free-lance reporter at Doctor’s Common Courts in 1829. One year later he met and fell in love with Maria Beadnell. They saw each other until 1833, when their relationship ended, probably due to the fact that Maria’s parents did not approve of her marrying Charles. In the same year, his first published story, “Dinner at Popular Walk,” appeared in Monthly Magazine. In 1834, he adopted the soon to be famous alias “Boz.” His father was once again arrested for debt. This time, however, Charles reluctantly came to his aid. In 1835, he became engaged to Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of his editor friend, George Hogarth. In 1836, he sold the copyright of his first series of “Sketches by Boz” for 150 pounds. In April, he married Catherine and became editor of Bentley's Miscellany. He also met John Forster, a biographer, who would become his close friend for life.

In 1857, the Dickens family bought Gad’s Hill, an estate Charles had wanted since childhood. One of Dickens’ idols, Hans Christian Anderson, visited him at Gad’s Hill. Dickens’ theatrical company performed The

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