Charles Dickens was one of the most famous authors of all time.

But did you know that

Charles was an actor before he was an author? This lesson will teach you all about his
interesting life and how his life helped him in his writing!

Birth and Childhood

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England, but moved to
the town of Chatham, England when he was very young. His family was wealthy
sometimes, but his father was very bad at managing money so the family was often
embarrassed or running out of money. In 1824, when Charles was 12 years old, his
father went to prison for debt, or owing money. This forced Charles to take a job in a
factory to help support the family. This was an awful time for Charles and his family,
but it was really important to his career as an author because he often wrote about
poor people and their situations, and being poor himself helped him understand what
these people were experiencing.

Charles only attended school until he was 15 years old, and worked at various jobs to
support his family. One of his favorite jobs was as a newspaper reporter, and this
helped him in his early writing career.

Acting Career and Early Writing Career

Did you know that Charles Dickens was an actor before he was a writer? In 1832, at age
20, he became an actor in plays in the London area. While he was acting, he also
wrote The Pickwick Papers, which was a comic book series. The Pickwick Papers were
really popular and they made people know Charles' name for the first time.

Famous Books
Charles Dickens wrote over 30 books in his lifetime, but let's learn a little bit about the
most famous ones.

Great Expectations
Great Expectations was published in 1861 and was one of Charles' most famous books.
It is the story of Pip, a young boy who grows up and learns about the world. Oliver
Twist
Oliver Twist was published in 1838, and is known for its commentary on social issues of
the time, including labor conditions in factories. Many of the characters in this book
were very poor, so Charles drew from his childhood to help him write this book.

David Copperfield
David Copperfield was published in 1850 and is a coming of age, or growing up, story
about a man named David Copperfield. Many people think this book was based on
Charles' real life.

A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol was published in 1843 and tells the tale of Scrooge, a mean old man
who learns the real meaning of Christmas.