Charles Dickens was an English novelist and one of the most popular writers in the history of
literature. He was born on February 7, 1812, the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. John
Dickens was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office. He had a poor head for finances, and in 1824
found himself imprisoned for debt. His wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who
was put to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, joined him in the Marshalsea Prison. When the
family finances were put at least partly to rights and his father was released, the
twelve-year-old Dickens, already scarred psycholo…
