Charles Dickens 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.

Charles Dickens (1812 - 1870)

During his lifetime, Dickens was viewed as a popular entertainer of fecund imagination, while later critics championed his mastery of prose, his endless invention of memorable characters and his powerful social sensibilities.

Among his best-known works are Great Expectations, David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist,

Nicholas Nickleby, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol.

Dickens gave his first public reading in the United States at a New York City theatre in December 2, 1867.

The effort and passion he put into these readings with individual character voices is  thought to have contributed to his death.