Charles John Huffam Dickens (Charles John Huffam Dickens, February 7, 1812 - June 7, 1870) - one of the most famous and prominent English writers, essayist and novelist. Many of his works are called classics of world literature, and the author himself is one of the best prose writers of the 19th century.
Childhood
Charles Dickens was born on February 7 in the city of Landport, located in the suburbs of Portsmouth, in a large family. In addition to Charles, John and Ellisabeth Dickens had eight more children, so the financial condition of the family was far from ideal. Charles's father served at the Royal Navy's naval base, but the money given to government officials once a month was barely enough to feed such a large family.
At the age of five, Charles moved with his parents to Chatham, where his father was transferred on duty. Here the boy is taken to a decent Baptist school, where Pastor William Gilles undertakes to teach him. Even after returning to London, William continued to teach the boy everything he needed, while at the same time instilling in him a love of literature and art.
But in 1824, the situation of the family deteriorated so much that Dickens Sr. went to a debt prison, and his son was forced to go to work at the vaccine factory, where he worked tirelessly until Friday, and on weekends, like the rest of the family, served his sentence in prison.
Three years later, Charles's grandmother dies, leaving the family a solid inheritance. Father, taking advantage of the situation and stabilized financial condition, closes all debts and becomes a free man. Charles hopes that soon he will not have to work at the factory, but his mother decides to leave him there so that money constantly goes to his family. It was this act of the closest and dearest to Dickens Jr. that determined his future attitude to absolutely all the women he had met in his life.
Youth and writing career
At the age of fifteen, Charles Dickens realizes that he needs to move on. Despite the fact that his family still needs the money he received at the factory, he leaves and goes to work at the Ellis & Blackmore Law Office, where he becomes a junior clerk. At the same time, he is studying the stenographic system of Garnier, which allows him to work as a free reporter, taking as his assistants Thomas Charlton, one of his father's distant relatives.
It was from this time that Charles Dickens found his calling. In the early days of his work, he was asked to write several essays on various topics in order to verify his literacy and see the style of the author. After reading them, the editor not only accepted a talented guy for work, but also allowed to publish all the works he wrote.
The Essay of Bose, written by Dickens in 1836, appeared in the newspaper. According to bibliographers, many works of Charles Dickens are characterized by the same image of the main characters - ruined small aristocrats, whose life gradually becomes poor and boring. The writer describes well the typical Londoners of that time - those whom he saw and felt sorry for, introducing himself in their place.
A few years later the chapters of the Pickwick Club Posthumous Notes are published, which are also published in the newspaper where Dickens works and bring him the first success in his life. The work comes out alive and positive. In it, the author describes old England with its calm life and all the same petty bourgeoisie, which now has become its main and integral part. The main character is the original and positive Mr. Pickwick - a name that today is known no less than the famous Don Quixote. It is thanks to him that the reader learns about English life, traditions and customs of that time.
In the period 1838-1839, Charles Dickens creates another work, which becomes his hallmark. The story of “The Adventures of Oliver Twist”, which tells of a poor boy from an orphanage who begins an independent life and encounters many difficulties along his way, touched the minds of readers, showing the full depth of feelings and making him incredibly empathize with the main character throughout his adventure.
Personality oddities
Many people who were familiar with Charles Dickens and saw him while working on works mentioned several oddities of the author. Dickens himself has repeatedly admitted to friends and relatives that he first hears absolutely all of his works, and then transfers it to paper. The writer spoke of a certain voice that is with him constantly and helps to create all the stories and essays.
Another oddity that Charles had never mentioned was noticed by his colleagues. Some of them said that while writing stories, Dickens often argued with the main characters as if they were nearby.
“When he worked on the“ Antiquities Bench ”, he often complained about little Nell, who prevented him from concentrating, and during the creation of“ Martin Cheslweet ”he always argued with Mrs. Gump, declaring to her in the most aggressive terms that she would not pay not a line of her novel to her ... "- Admitted in an interview the editor-in-chief George Henry Lewis.
Personal life
On April 2, 1836, Charles Dickens marries Katherine Hoggart, the daughter of his best journalist friend, with whom they worked together in the editorial office. Katherine was the most faithful wife, she sincerely loved her husband, gave birth to eight children. But after a couple of months of living together, Dickens is changing dramatically. He becomes suspicious, often arranges interrogations for his wife and even claims a couple of times that she gave birth to sick children.
In 1857, Dickens met a young theater actress Ellen Ternan, with whom he had a romantic relationship. Charles is not ready to leave the family, so he decides to rent Ternan's apartment, where they meet with the writer until the end of his life.
Charles Dickens - A famous English writer, novelist and essayist. The most popular English-language writer in life. A classic of world literature, one of the largest prose writers of the 19th century.
Dickens wrote most of his works in the genre of realism, but in some of his works one can notice lyrical and fairy-tale features.
There are many in Dickens that we will tell you about right now.
So, here is a short biography of Charles Dickens.
Dickens Biography
Charles John Huffham Dickens was born February 7, 1812 in the suburbs of the English city of Portsmouth.
His father, John Dickens, worked as an officer in the Navy. Mother, Elizabeth Dickens, was a housewife and raised children. In addition to Charles, seven more children were born in the Dickens family.
Childhood and youth
After the Dickens moved to Chatham, Charles began attending a local school. When he was 12 years old, Dickens's father fell into a serious debt hole.
According to British law of the time, creditors had the right to send their debtors to special prisons, where John Dickens actually ended up.
Charles Dickens as a child In addition, on weekends, his wife and children were also imprisoned, as they were considered debt slaves. These were far from the best days in the biography of the future writer.
At an early age, Charles Dickens was forced to go to work. He worked all day in the shoe factory, receiving a meager pay for his work.
When the day came, the young man spent it in prison with his parents.
Soon, however, joyful changes occurred in the biography of Dickens Sr. He inherited a large inheritance from a distant relative, thanks to which he was able to completely pay off his debts.
Moreover, he began to receive a pension, and also worked as a journalist in a local publishing house.
In 1827, Charles Dickens graduated from Wellington Academy. After that, he got a job as a clerk in a law office. During this period of his biography, his salary was twice as much as in a shoe factory.
Then Dickens began working as a reporter. His articles were of interest to the public, as a result of which his journalistic career went uphill.
In 1830, an 18-year-old was invited to the editorial office of Morning Chronicle.
Dickens Works
Charles Dickens quickly attracted the attention of readers. Inspired by his first success, he decided to try himself as a writer.
Charles Dickens in his youth The British appreciated his works, which allowed him to continue writing.
An interesting fact is that he called Dickens the master of the pen, who knows how to perfectly reflect objective reality.
In 1837, Dickens's novel, Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club, was published, which became his debut in his creative biography. In it, Charles perfectly described the old, as well as its inhabitants.
This work gained great popularity and caused extraordinary interest among readers.
Every new novel or short story coming out of the pen of Charles Dickens literally caused a public outcry.
His fame grew every day, as a result of which he became the most famous and published during his lifetime English-language writer.
The most famous works of Charles Dickens are The Adventures of Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, The Cold House, Great Expectations, and Our Common Friend.
Personal life
Charles Dickens first fell in love at the age of 18. His lover was Maria Bidnell, who was the daughter of a banker.
At that point in the biography, Dickens was a little-known reporter who worked in a modest publication. When Mary's father and mother found out that he wanted to marry their daughter, they became indignant.
Parents did not want their poor son-in-law to be their son-in-law, so they sent Maria to study in order to separate the couple.
Their plan worked, since returning from the girl she was already indifferent to Dickens. In this regard, their relationship ended.
In 1836, Dickens proposed to Catherine Thomson Hogarth, who was the daughter of his friend. As a result, they got married, and soon they had 10 children.
Charles Dickens with his wife Later between them frequent quarrels and misunderstandings began. This led to the fact that the wife and children became a real burden for Dickens.
The family took a lot of free time from the writer and did not give full creative work.
Charles Dickens and Ellen Ternan In 1857, Charles Dickens met the 18-year-old artist Ellen Ternan. Soon, he began to meet her at any opportunity, as a result of which they began a stormy romance.
An interesting fact is that after the death of the writer, Helen became his main heiress.
Death
Shortly before his death, Charles Dickens's health began to deteriorate. However, he did not pay attention to this, continuing to actively write novels and meet with girls.
After the classic traveled to America, his health worsened even more. A year before his death, Dickens was occasionally taken away from his arms and legs.
Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870, at the age of 58. The day before, he had a stroke that caused death.
The great English writer is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Dickens Photos
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English writer, novelist and essayist. The most popular English-language writer in life. A classic of world literature, one of the largest prose writers of the 19th century. The work of Dickens is attributed to the heights of realism, but both his sentimental and fabulous beginnings are reflected in his novels. The most famous novels of Dickens (published in separate issues with continuation): “Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club”, “Oliver Twist”, “David Copperfield”, “Great Expectations”, “The Tale of Two Cities”.
Biography:
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in the suburb of Portsmouth - Landport (English) Russian .. He was the second child of eight children of John Dickens (1785-1851) and Elizabeth Dickens, nee Barrow (1789-1863). His father served as an officer at the Royal Navy's naval base; in January 1815 he was transferred to London, in April 1817 the family moved to Chatham. Here Charles attended the Baptist Pastor William Gilles School, even when the family moved to London again. Life in the capital, beyond his means, led his father in 1824 to a debt prison. His older sister continued to study at the Royal Academy of Music until 1827, and Charles worked at Warren's Blacking Factory, where he received six shillings a week. But on Sunday they were in prison with their parents. A few months later, after the death of his paternal grandmother, John Dickens, thanks to the inheritance he received, was released from prison, received a pension in the admiralty and the place of parliamentary reporter in a newspaper. However, at the insistence of his mother, Charles was left in the factory, which influenced his attitude towards women in his subsequent life. After some time, he was identified at the Wellington House Academy, where he studied until March 1827. In May 1827, he was admitted to the Ellis & Blackmore Law Office as a junior clerk, at 13 shillings a week. Here he worked until November 1828. After studying shorthand using the T. Gurney system (Thomas Gurney), he became a freelance reporter, along with his distant relative, Thomas Charlton. In 1830, Charles was invited to the en: Morning Chronicle. In the same year, Charles Dickens met his first love, Maria Bidnell - the daughter of the director of the bank.
Personal oddities:
Dickens often spontaneously fell into a trance, was prone to visions, and from time to time experienced a state of deja vu.
George Henry Lewis, editor-in-chief of Fortnightly Review (and a close friend of the writer George Eliot), spoke of the writer’s other oddities. Dickens once told him that each word, before moving on to the paper, is first clearly heard by him, and his characters are constantly nearby and communicate with him.
While working on the “Antiquities Bench”, the writer could neither eat nor sleep: little Nell was constantly spinning under her feet, demanding attention, appealing for sympathy and jealous when the author was distracted from her by talking to someone from outsiders.
While working on the novel Martin Cheslvit, Dickens was bored with her jokes by Mrs. Gump: he had to fend off her by force. “Dickens warned Mrs. Gump more than once: if she does not learn to behave decently and will not be only on call, he will not give her a single line at all!” - wrote Lewis. That is why the writer loved to roam the crowded streets. “In the afternoon, you can still somehow manage without people,” Dickens admitted in one of the letters, “but in the evening I’m just not able to free myself from my ghosts until I get lost from them in the crowd.”
“Perhaps only the creative nature of these hallucinatory adventures keeps us from mentioning schizophrenia as a probable diagnosis,” remarks parapsychologist Nandor Fodor, author of the essay Unknown Dickens (1964, New York).
After death:
Dickens' fame continued to grow after his death. He was turned into a real idol of English literature. His name began to be called next to the name of Shakespeare, his popularity in England in the 1880-1890s. eclipsed the fame of Byron. But the criticism and the reader tried not to notice his angry protests, his peculiar martyrdom, his throwing among the contradictions of life.
They did not understand and did not want to understand that humor was often a shield for Dickens from the excessively wounding blows of life. On the contrary, Dickens gained primarily the fame of a jolly writer of jolly old England.
Charles Dickens is deservedly considered the greatest English writer, prose writer, humanist and classic in world literature. In this brief biography of Charles Dickens, we tried to briefly outline the main milestones of his life and work.
The Early Years and the Charles Dickens Family
The writer Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Landport. Charles's father was a very wealthy government official, and his mother a housewife who tenderly cared for the welfare of the Dickens family. Mr. Dickens loved his son very much and in every way guarded him. Although his father was quite windy and simple-minded man, he possessed at the same time rich imagination, ease of speech and kindness, which the son of Charlie fully inherited.
The talent for acting began to be revealed in Charles from early childhood, which Dickens Sr. encouraged in every possible way. Parents not only admired the abilities of their son, but also cultivated in him vanity and narcissism. Father demanded that Charlie teach and read poetry, play theatrical performances, share his impressions ... Ultimately, the son really turned into a small actor, in addition, his creative abilities were clearly expressed.
Quite unexpectedly and suddenly, the Dickens went broke. Due to debts, his father went to jail, and his mother got a difficult share - from a wealthy and prosperous woman she turned into a beggar, and was forced to completely take care of food and continued existence. Young Dickens found himself in new and difficult circumstances. By that time, the boy's character had formed - he was conceited, pampered, full of creative enthusiasm and very painful. In order to somehow alleviate the fate of the family, Charles had to get a dirty and dirty job - he became a worker in the production of vaccine in the factory.
Becoming a writer and a creative career in the biography of Charles Dickens
Later, the writer terribly did not like to remember that terrible time - this nasty vacca, this factory, this humiliated state of his family. And despite the fact that Dickens even preferred to hide this page of his life, since then he has learned many lessons for himself and determined his guiding lines in life and work. Charles learned to deeply sympathize with the poor and destitute and hate those who are obsessed with fat.
The first thing that began to open at that time in a great writer was reporter ability. When he tentatively wrote several articles, he was immediately noticed and amazed. Not only the leadership was quite a find, but the colleagues did not hide their admiration for Dickens - his wit, presentation style, excellent author's syllable and breadth of word. Charles quickly and confidently began to move up the career ladder.
When compiling a biography of Charles Dickens, it is imperative to mention the fact that in 1836 Dickens wrote and published his first serious work with a deeply moral bias - "Boz Essays." Although all this was at the newspaper level at that time, Dickens's name sounded loud. In the same year, the writer published "The Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club," and this brought him much greater success and fame. Two years later, the author had already published Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, which earned him real fame and reverence. The following years were marked by the fact that Dickens published one after another the greatest masterpieces, worked hard and hard, and sometimes led himself to exhaustion.
In 1870, at the age of 58, Charles Dickens died of a stroke.
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The Charles Dickens biography is abbreviated in this article.
Charles Dickens Short Biography
Charles John Huffham Dickens - English writer, novelist and essayist.
February 7, 1812 - Born in Landport near Portsmouth in the family of an employee of the financial department of the maritime department.
From 1817 to 1823, the Dickens family lived in the city of Chetam, where Charles began attending school. These years he subsequently called the happiest in his life. The end of a serene childhood was put in financial troubles, because of which his father was put in a debt prison, and 11-year-old Charles was forced to work for several months in a factory producing vaccine.
1824–1826 - years of study at the Wellington House Academy private school.
1827 - entered the position of a junior clerk in a law office.
In 1828, he got a job as a free reporter in the court of justice, and in 1832, as a parliamentary correspondent.
In 1833, in a monthly magazine, the writer published his first essay - “Lunch on Poplar-Wok”, signed by the pseudonym “Boz”.
1836 - published the first sections of the novel “Posthumous Notes of the Pickwick Club”, which were very popular among readers. In the same year, Dickens married the daughter of lawyer and journalist J. Hogarth Kate, they had 10 children, but in 1868 they separated.
1837–1841 - the famous novels of C. Dickens are published: “The Adventures of Oliver Twist” (1839), “Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” (1839), “The Shop of Antiquities” (1840), etc.
In 1842, the writer traveled to the United States, during which he experienced a deep disappointment in American democracy and the American way of life. These impressions are reflected in the novel Martin Cheslvit (1844). Then came the cycle “Christmas Tales” (1848), the novels “Dombey and Son” (1848), “The Life of David Copperfield, Told by Himself” (1850).
In the 1850s - the novels Cold House (1853), Hard Times (1854) and Little Dorrit (1857) were written. For some time, Dickens worked as the editor of Home Reading, in which he published his own essays. After a conflict with publishers, he founded a similar magazine, All Year Round.
Since 1858, the writer made public readings of his works. These readings have become a legend in European cultural life.
1860s - worked on the novels “Great Expectations” (1861), “Our Common Friend” (1865), “The Secret of Edward Drude” (1870, unfinished).