Charles Dickens was a British novelist, journalist, editor, and social commentator, who was considered to be one of the greatest writers of the Victorian era. He was born Charles John Huffam Dickens in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812. His family was very poor, and his father was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old, and he was forced to quit school to work at a boot-blacking factory. His books, such as David Copperfield, were based on these experiences of working under terrible conditions in those factories. He was able to go back to school, but had to drop it again at 15, where he went to work as an office boy, which became a turning point in his career as a writer.

He worked for two major London newspapers, and he wrote and submitted sketches under the pseudonym, Boz, which were published in his first book.

He also wrote the Pickwick papers, which became very popular and he also edited for various magazines. He ended up publishing a total of 15 novels.

Some of his most famous works are Oliver Twist (1838), A Christmas Carol (1843), Great Expectations (1861), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and David Copperfield (1849).