Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic, During his lifetime, his works enjoyed great popularity. He is now considered a literary genius because he created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Charles Dickens was born on February 7,1812 in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk who dreamed of becoming rich and his mother, Elizabeth Barrow, aspired to be a teacher and school director. But the family's financial situation had grown worse because John Dickens used to spend money dangerously beyond the family's means. Consequently, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old.
After his father's imprisonment, Charles Dickens left school to work in a factory. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five short novels, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was a tireless letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Charles Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers, Within a few years he had become an international literary figure, famous for his humor, criticism, and keen observation of character and' society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments(连载小说的一节),pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication.
Charles Dickens was regarded as the literary representative of his age. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, present images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction.
Charles Dickens died at home on June 9, 1870 after suffering a stroke. The sentence on his tomb reads: “He was a sympathizer( 同情者) to the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world.
Charles Dickens was buried in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.