Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812, the second child of a large family. His father was the son of a butler and a housekeeper, and worked as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family moved to London when Dickens was three and to Chatham in Kent two years later. In 1822 Dickens's father was transferred to London and slid seriously into debt. Dickens did not go back to school and at …

…With the exception of his eldest son, Dickens's children stayed with their father and saw little of Catherine after the separation. Dickens's experience in the blacking factory had a profound effect on him. His books are almost all set mainly in London and describe it as a dark and contaminated city. His characters come from all social classes and he wrote passionately about the lives of the poor and campaigned for better conditions for them.