Charles Dickens - A Biography on the Author of a Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens was born in February of 1812 to John and Elizabeth Dickens. His father was a clerk in the Naval Pay office. His father unfortunately had a weak financial approach and found himself imprisoned for debt in 1824.

His wife and children joined John Dickens in the Marshalsea Prison, with the exception of Charles. Charles was put to work at Warren's Blacking Factory. When the family was released, 12 year old Dickens was forced to continue working at the factory due to his mother's persistence. Dickens' father, however, put an end to it and Dickens became a pupil at a London school. After three years of schooling, Dickens found employment in as an office boy at an attorney's while he studied and was self-taught at night. His stint at the Blacking factory was a time period that haunted Dickens for the rest of his life. He spoke and wrote little of it; however he revealed some of the incident's effect to his closest friend, John Forster.

The time Dickens spent in the Blacking factory also proved to be influential in his writings. It has been said that the creative energy, alienation and betrayal which have arrived in several of Dickens' novels were rooted and inspired by Dickens' time at the factory.

In 1829, Dickens became a free-lance reporter at Doctor's Commons Courts, and in 1830 he met and fell in love with Maria Beadnell.

By 1832, Dickens has become a successful shorthand reporter of Parliamentary debates in the House of Commons. He soon became a reporter for a local newspaper.

Dickens' relationship with Maria Beadnell ended in 1833 due to her parents not thinking him an appropriate match. A version of Beadnell later appeared in one of Dickens' novels as Little Dorrit.

In 1834, Dickens had his first story published. It was also at this time that Dickens took the alias of "Boz."
Dickens' father John once again ended up in debt and being arrested. Dickens' was forced to aid his father. Dickens' family including both parents and brothers frequently pursued Dickens' money.

In 1835, Charles Dickens became engaged to Catherine Hogarth.

Sketches of Boz was first published in 1836. The same year, Dickens was hired to write short texts to accompany a series of humorous sporting illustrations by Robert Seymour, a popular artist.

Seymour committed suicide before the paperes could come to completion. Dickens ended up changing the illustrations and renaming the papers, The Pickwick Papers, which later became a novel.

The Pickwick Papers became a popular success and continued through 1837. It was also during this time that Dickens married Catherine Hogarth and became editor of Bentley's Miscellany. The second series of Sketches by Boz was also published in December of 1936.

Dickens became a full-time novelist after the publishing of The Pickwick Papers. He continued with his journalistic and editorial activities, however his novels grew in complexity and productivity.

Oliver Twist became Dickens next published novel in 1837. It was also during this year that Charles' first son, Charles was born to become the first of ten children.

In 1938, Dickens began writing Nicholas Nickleby and shortly after its publication, Dickens resigned as editor of Bentley's Miscellany.

A Christmas Carol was published in 1844, becoming the first of Dickens' Christmas works, which are also greatly successful.

In 1845, Dickens began a theatrical production which toured Italy and America. Dickens continued to do many public readings throughout the world and became acquainted with many other famous authors including Haans Christian Anderson, Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe. All of whom approved of Dickens' works.
Dickens died in 1870 after performing. Some say it was due to exhaustion.