About the Author; Charles Dickens

            Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on February 7,1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Charles lived with his mother, Elizabeth Barrow, his father, John Dickens, his older brother Frances, and younger siblings Alfred Allen, Letitia Mary, Harriet, Frederic William, Alfred Lamert, and Augustus Newnham. His family lived in a large home in Chatham, Kent County where his father was transferred to as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. Dickens preferred art and literature over his studies. He was a voracious reader, and he also enjoyed art, poetry, music, and creating shows with his siblings. In 1824, his father was imprisoned for debt , and Charles was sent off to make money for the family by working at Warren’s Show Blacking Factory. He visited his father every Sunday, and he lived in a boarding house in Camden Town.  Even after his father was released, his mother forced Charles to continue working. He attending the Wellington House Academy in London as a day student from before going to work. Charles was forced to leave school in 1827 when the Dickens were evicted from their home for unpaid rent. He was able to get a job as a clerk in the law firm where he learned shorthand and became a court reporter for the Doctors Commons. From there he continued to write books, and became a successful publisher. He died in June of 1870 of a cerebral hemorrhage.