Charles Dickens was a British novelist, journalist, editor and writer, as well as a social activist. He wrote Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. He wrote classic novels like Great Expectations, which are still part of Cambridge education curriculum till today. Charles Dickens is remembered as one of the most important and influential writers of the nineteenth century. A period of his writings is also recognized for the fact that he presented a complete picture of the Victorian era, which proved to be quite helpful in bringing about social change.

Early life and education

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. He was the second of his eight siblings. His father, John Dickens, was a clerk in the Navy and dreamed of becoming rich. Charles' mother, Elizabeth Barrow, was involved in teaching and aspired to become a school director. Despite all the efforts of the parents, the family could not get out of the difficult financial situation, but nevertheless, they tried to be happy in all circumstances.

In 1822, the Dickens family moved to Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London. By then, the financial situation of the family had become dire, as John Dickens had a habit of squandering the money he got on loan on frivolous activities. John was finally sent to prison for defaulting on a loan in 1824, when Charles Dickens was 12 years old.

After his father went to prison, Charles had to leave school to work in a shoe-blacking factory along the River Thames. In this smoke-filled factory, Charles Dickens's job was to label the pot that cleaned the hearth as "blacking," and he was paid 6 shillings for it.

Seeing these circumstances, Charles Dickens said goodbye to his childhood and started exploring life at an early age. Charles soon realized that his parents had abandoned him instead of taking care of him, and this feeling haunted him throughout his life, which is also reflected in his writings. The oppression and exploitation that Charles Dickens suffered while working in the factory can be seen in his book "Oliver Twist," and similarly, the feelings of child laborers can be seen in "David Copperfield." While in "A Christmas Carol," you can feel the difference between the rich and the poor.

Fate played strange games with Charles. Charles' father paid off all his debts by selling the family property and allowing Charles to go back to school. Charles's life settled down and he began to read with interest, but when Charles Dickens turned 15, ironically, he once again had to drop out of school and work in an office to contribute to his family's income. He had to take a job when he was just a boy. But this job became a turning point in his career. Charles started writing and made it his career.

The personality of Charles Dickens

Contemporary historians and writers regard Charles Dickens as the first world figure in terms of literature. His writings have been translated into almost every language. The characters created in his books are still seen around the world today. They were introduced to the world by Charles Dickens 170 years ago. Charles Dickens' biographer, Claire Tomalin, says that Charles Dickens's social portrayal is still in line with his thinking: the same gap between the rich and the poor, the presence of corrupt people in government affairs, the corruption of members of parliament, and other social evils of this kind are moving like shadows with humans even today. Charles Dickens very skillfully marked and covered all of these in his writings long ago.

On June 9, 1870, this great personality passed away. In 2012, Charles Dickens' 200th birthday was celebrated in Great Britain. The British Post Office also issued commemorative stamps to pay tribute to him, and the film Great Expectations, based on his novel, was also released that year.

Charles Dickens life is an example for today's youth that despite all the hardships and difficulties, he stood like a rock. Dickens life is an inspiring tale for today's students and young aspirants, everything is possible with hard work and true dedication.